Hughes & Kettner Grandmeister Deluxe 40 vs Black Spirit 200 (tubes vs solid state)

Timecodes:
00:00 Introduction & notes
00:25 GMD40 Clean channel
01:09 GMD40 Crunch channel
01:42 GMD40 Lead channel
02:22 GMD40 Ultra channel
03:15 BS200 Clean channel
03:58 BS200 Crunch channel
04:32 BS200 Lead channel
05:13 BS200 Ultra channel
06:04 GMD40 Clean channel isolated
06:47 GMD40 Crunch channel isolated
07:21 GMD40 Lead channel isolated
08:02 GMD40 Ultra channel isolated
08:53 BS200 Clean channel isolated
09:37 BS200 Crunch channel isolated
10:10 BS200 Lead channel isolated
10:51 BS200 Ultra channel isolated
11:42 A/B back to back isolated comparisons


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This was the signal flow for the audio recordings:
-Guitar
-Fractal Audio Axe Fx III (for recording the DI's)
-Hughes & Kettner amps (the Red Box DI outputs are going directly into my Axe Fx so no loadbox was used this time)
-Fractal Audio Axe Fx III (for IR loading and noise gate)
-OwnHammer Impulse Responses
-Cubase 10.5 pro

Additional notes: The Grandmeister Deluxe 40 has Tung Sol powertubes in it but the preamp tubes are all stock. H&K sent me the Black Spirit 200 to try out and I must say that I've really been enjoying the amp so far! Both amps sound great but they are slightly differently voiced so they don't sound exactly the same. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages. Which one is for you? That depends on which one you prefer tonally but also which one has the features and pricetag that fits you as a player and customer.

The black spirit is solid state so there aren't any tubes to break or wear out and it's super lightweight. Just like the Grandmeister Deluxe 40 it's fully programmable and midi controllable so all in all it's a very flexible amp with some solid tones in it. The Grandmeister is a tiny bit bigger and it has all of the features that the Black Spirit has (with one exception being the different features in the Red Box DI). Perhaps you prefer the all tube tone of this amp over the Black Spirit, it does sound very organic and crisp indeed and that is hard to match without tubes. That's not to say that the Black Spirit doesn't sound great because it does, but again, it's all about personal preference. I would love to know your thoughts!

Final thoughts: both amps are very versatile and can be dialed in to sound amazing! Are you looking for a very portable amp with a lot of features and an attractive price tag and do you like the sound of the amp in this demo? Perhaps the Black Spirit 200 could be the amp for you! Are you willing to spend a bit more to get that true tube tone and don't mind if it weighs a bit more? Perhaps go for the awesome Grandmeister! Sure, it's slightly bigger than the BS200, but it's still very portable and 40 watts is a lot of power!