Blackstar ID:Core 20 V4

i discovered the id core v4 on youtube and it checked all the boxes while being affordable. the 20 watt model even lets me connect a footswitch which i wanted.


1. quick pros:

- sounds great
- can be as loud or as quiet as you need it to be (1 watt switch)
- two sound speakers in the box for stereo sound
- official program for pc and mac to play around and get to know effects
- USB C not some cave man micro usb BS - record directly to you favourite DAW
- connection for other audio sources to play along your favourite music (via cable only)
- connection for real time stream to make sure the video and the sound are synchronous so you can stream directly to social media
- 20 watt and 40 watt versions let you connect an official footswitch
- you can connect an official battery and take play anywhere you like for around 9 hours
- the price (amp and footswitch under 300€) amazing!
- no scamy monetization practises after your purchase. you see what you get (hardware and software)


2. quick cons:

- as usual you cannot access all of the functionality of the amp physically with nobs, so for the full range of settings you must us the architect program for pc or mac
- on windows pc you do not install architect, you just download the .exe and run the program from where ever
- they could have included a bluetooth connection for your smartphone instead of forcing you to use one cable for music playback and another cable for streaming. this is more of a nitpick in my book but if you want to stream outside you might run into issues regarding the length of the cable.

- for future product updates, let's say an id core V5, a bluetooth connection that lets you use bluetooth headphones would be a killer feature. for now headphone use by cable only.

all in all a great product and in my book the new go to amp not only for beginners who try to get to know effects (and maybe on a budget) but also for intermediate and professional players who need a portable solution.