great video! this really shows the strengths of each without needlessly taking them to task as so often seen on youtube. you can hear an appreciable amount of high end clarity in the fly with a very enjoyable amount of midrange punch in the katana. Practicing with accompaniment is considered by so many instructors as the best way to hone your skills. This video certainly demonstrates how and why these micro practice amps are so special, they position themselves for the way someone chooses to play along with a track. The brighter high end in the fly allows you to hear your articulation against a recording, especially in low volume situations. The katana gives you the more robust tone of a traditional stage amplifier but far more attenuated and manageable than the finicky half-watt setting on the standard katana amps. This would allow someone to mesh well with the accompaniment to build confidence in the performance, kind of like immersion when playing a videogame. I suggest the positive grid spark mini as another contender, I imagine it fits somewhere between the two with a modest size, price and volume but the tones in this context aren't well demonstrated. I promise I'm not an evangelist for or employee of positive grid, I just like this video format.
Both are probably the best lil amps you can buy I just bought a blackstar it really has the quality tones in a small package I bought the companion cab for the blackstar it really suits my needs but it's really a matter of taste both are awesome units , thanks Mike for doing this test rock on 🤙
Just bought a blackstar thanks to your review, nice little amp! Though I still miss my Roland Micro Cube, wish they would make something like that again... it had a nice variety of clean and distorted tones
Distortion was way superior on the Boss Katana Mini, but in the Cleans the Blackstar Fly 3 was way superior. I think it comes down to what kind of music you will be playing on the amp.
I'd say they were neck to neck until getting to distortion, there IMO the Boss Katana was better. However, the Fly 3 still sounded good and is more portable... although that advantage might be negligible because the Katana comes with a handle while the Fly 3 doesn't.
An excellent, short, but informative test. Great, Mike! Thanks! On a clean sound they are approximately equal, but I liked the Blackstar a little more. It has a little less depth, but it sounds more transparent. The lack of depth and low frequencies, I think, is compensated by connecting an additional cabinet. The Blackstar crunch is also more organic and transparent. The Boss sounds a little unnatural. At midgain they are again approximately equal, with slightly different characters, but Blackstar still has a more open sound. I liked Blackstar better here too. But at maximum distortion Black Star no longer sounds very pleasant and boxy. And it clearly has less gain. Both combos, in my opinion, have one common drawback. Why did manufacturers build in delay and not reverb? A regular spring reverb would be much more practical. Well, the obvious downside of Blackstar is the expensive power supply. This is just a minus in their karma for such a marketing ploy.
Huh? The Katana Mini does NOT come with a PSU included. If you want it, just like the basic Fly 3 you have to buy it as an overpriced accessory item. As supplied OOTB, both are battery only. And, the Fly 3 is half the price of the Katana Mini. Suggest you rethink your critique. If a PSU is prerequisite or factor in your decision, again Blackstar offer a superior value route. The Fly 3 Combo Pack which includes the basic Fly 3, Fly 103 satellite for 6W total power and two speakers for stereo output PLUS the proprietary Fly 3 PSU to power it all included for a fraction more than the cost of the Katana Mini WITHOUT PSU. I initially bought the Combo Pack first in Vintage Cream (about 5 years ago), then about 12 months later when a too good to refuse offer came up, a second Fly 3 basic (in Black) because they are so inexpensive yet versatile and useful. Yes, unashamedly a Blackstar fanboy.
Never played the mini katana, but I own a fly 3 and for what it is I think it's amazing. I use it for late night bedroom playing and it sounds awesome for crunchy overdriven power chords. Every time I see one of these micro amp shootouts the blackstar always wins.
Concur. The Katana Mini just isn't worth the premium over the Fly 3 unless the buyer has money to burn and displaying the brand gives the owner superiority vibes. The 6W stereo Fly 3 Combo Pack is even better!
Concur. The Katana Mini just isn't worth the premium over the Fly 3 unless the buyer has money to burn and displaying the brand gives the owner superiority vibes. The 6W stereo Fly 3 Combo Pack is even better!
@@jamescreswell9037 I definitely need the second speaker setup. Also I desperately need a power plug for it, gone through so many batteries! On another note I might try recording with the fly. Sort of has a pre mixed kinda sound.
@@stillpist Buy some Panasonic eneloops (1900mAh) or eneloop pros (2400mAh). The Fly 3 input voltage (6.5v DC) was specifically designed to operate with them as a power source. NiMH rechargable LD cells have a flat slow discharge curve and will operate fine until voltage drops *below* 1.1v per cell. Nominal i.e. 6x 1.2v=7.2v decreasing very slowly through 6x 1.1v=6.6v. So as you can see, they will provide sufficient voltage up until two of the cells' voltage drops below 1.1v indicating they are flat and need recharging. I have both std and pro eneloops. I specifically bought three sets of eneloop pros (they come in packs of 4) for a total of 12 cells to have two sets of 6 to rotate when I used to use my Fly 3s a lot. One x6 set in the Fly 3, one x6 set on charge or spare. Ultimately you can get by with a single x6 set of std eneloops if budget is tight. They last for years. They work superbly in the Fly 3 because it has been designed to run on their voltage. It's a lot cheaper than operating it with 1.5v Alkaline dry cells. The PSU works well, but TBH I hardly ever use it on the standalone Fly 3 single which works well enough on eneloop batteries even though I flog it brutally. Even the 6w stereo Fly3+103 combo works well with them, so I don't bother connecting it either unless I run out of eneloops. = ]
The Katana sounds fuller because it's larger, with a bigger speaker. But for something about as big as a fanny pack, without the strap, the Fly 3 sounds just a hair below the Katana.
great video! this really shows the strengths of each without needlessly taking them to task as so often seen on youtube. you can hear an appreciable amount of high end clarity in the fly with a very enjoyable amount of midrange punch in the katana. Practicing with accompaniment is considered by so many instructors as the best way to hone your skills. This video certainly demonstrates how and why these micro practice amps are so special, they position themselves for the way someone chooses to play along with a track. The brighter high end in the fly allows you to hear your articulation against a recording, especially in low volume situations. The katana gives you the more robust tone of a traditional stage amplifier but far more attenuated and manageable than the finicky half-watt setting on the standard katana amps. This would allow someone to mesh well with the accompaniment to build confidence in the performance, kind of like immersion when playing a videogame. I suggest the positive grid spark mini as another contender, I imagine it fits somewhere between the two with a modest size, price and volume but the tones in this context aren't well demonstrated. I promise I'm not an evangelist for or employee of positive grid, I just like this video format.
Both are probably the best lil amps you can buy I just bought a blackstar it really has the quality tones in a small package I bought the companion cab for the blackstar it really suits my needs but it's really a matter of taste both are awesome units , thanks Mike for doing this test rock on 🤙
Thanks mate! And congrats on your Fly 3, it's a keeper for sure!💪
Just bought a blackstar thanks to your review, nice little amp! Though I still miss my Roland Micro Cube, wish they would make something like that again... it had a nice variety of clean and distorted tones
I've owned a fly3 for 5 years or more. It sounds incredible with my telecaster.
Distortion was way superior on the Boss Katana Mini, but in the Cleans the Blackstar Fly 3 was way superior. I think it comes down to what kind of music you will be playing on the amp.
FYI: The recent versions of both these Amps now have BT!
I'd say they were neck to neck until getting to distortion, there IMO the Boss Katana was better. However, the Fly 3 still sounded good and is more portable... although that advantage might be negligible because the Katana comes with a handle while the Fly 3 doesn't.
An excellent, short, but informative test. Great, Mike! Thanks!
On a clean sound they are approximately equal, but I liked the Blackstar a little more. It has a little less depth, but it sounds more transparent. The lack of depth and low frequencies, I think, is compensated by connecting an additional cabinet.
The Blackstar crunch is also more organic and transparent. The Boss sounds a little unnatural. At midgain they are again approximately equal, with slightly different characters, but Blackstar still has a more open sound. I liked Blackstar better here too. But at maximum distortion Black Star no longer sounds very pleasant and boxy. And it clearly has less gain.
Both combos, in my opinion, have one common drawback. Why did manufacturers build in delay and not reverb? A regular spring reverb would be much more practical. Well, the obvious downside of Blackstar is the expensive power supply. This is just a minus in their karma for such a marketing ploy.
Huh? The Katana Mini does NOT come with a PSU included. If you want it, just like the basic Fly 3 you have to buy it as an overpriced accessory item. As supplied OOTB, both are battery only. And, the Fly 3 is half the price of the Katana Mini. Suggest you rethink your critique.
If a PSU is prerequisite or factor in your decision, again Blackstar offer a superior value route. The Fly 3 Combo Pack which includes the basic Fly 3, Fly 103 satellite for 6W total power and two speakers for stereo output PLUS the proprietary Fly 3 PSU to power it all included for a fraction more than the cost of the Katana Mini WITHOUT PSU. I initially bought the Combo Pack first in Vintage Cream (about 5 years ago), then about 12 months later when a too good to refuse offer came up, a second Fly 3 basic (in Black) because they are so inexpensive yet versatile and useful. Yes, unashamedly a Blackstar fanboy.
I liked Katana better for all sounds. Great video!
Never played the mini katana, but I own a fly 3 and for what it is I think it's amazing. I use it for late night bedroom playing and it sounds awesome for crunchy overdriven power chords. Every time I see one of these micro amp shootouts the blackstar always wins.
Concur. The Katana Mini just isn't worth the premium over the Fly 3 unless the buyer has money to burn and displaying the brand gives the owner superiority vibes. The 6W stereo Fly 3 Combo Pack is even better!
Concur. The Katana Mini just isn't worth the premium over the Fly 3 unless the buyer has money to burn and displaying the brand gives the owner superiority vibes. The 6W stereo Fly 3 Combo Pack is even better!
@@jamescreswell9037 I definitely need the second speaker setup. Also I desperately need a power plug for it, gone through so many batteries! On another note I might try recording with the fly. Sort of has a pre mixed kinda sound.
@@stillpist Buy some Panasonic eneloops (1900mAh) or eneloop pros (2400mAh). The Fly 3 input voltage (6.5v DC) was specifically designed to operate with them as a power source.
NiMH rechargable LD cells have a flat slow discharge curve and will operate fine until voltage drops *below* 1.1v per cell. Nominal i.e. 6x 1.2v=7.2v decreasing very slowly through 6x 1.1v=6.6v. So as you can see, they will provide sufficient voltage up until two of the cells' voltage drops below 1.1v indicating they are flat and need recharging.
I have both std and pro eneloops. I specifically bought three sets of eneloop pros (they come in packs of 4) for a total of 12 cells to have two sets of 6 to rotate when I used to use my Fly 3s a lot. One x6 set in the Fly 3, one x6 set on charge or spare. Ultimately you can get by with a single x6 set of std eneloops if budget is tight. They last for years. They work superbly in the Fly 3 because it has been designed to run on their voltage. It's a lot cheaper than operating it with 1.5v Alkaline dry cells.
The PSU works well, but TBH I hardly ever use it on the standalone Fly 3 single which works well enough on eneloop batteries even though I flog it brutally. Even the 6w stereo Fly3+103 combo works well with them, so I don't bother connecting it either unless I run out of eneloops. = ]
Is there a difference between the Blackstar Fly 3 and the Blackstar Fly 3 LT? What is LT anyway?
Best comparation video, Thanks
Can i have a tab of yhe heavy riff the second one pls
I buy right now the blackstar ,
Great Comparison.
Both are decent enough mini practice amps tonally, but can't beat the value and smaller form factor of the Fly 3 at half the price of the Katana Mini.
Katana wins. Distortion sounds more punchy while the fly sounds a tad vintage to my ears.
Do they have bluetooth with auto conection ?
No integrated BT.
Katana good for metal sound
katana clearly miss from a bluetooth option. This is the only reason I choose the blackstar
Im going for the katana...
Never thought Katana would sound way better than Blackstar.
What's the name of the first 2 songs
The Katana sounds fuller because it's larger, with a bigger speaker. But for something about as big as a fanny pack, without the strap, the Fly 3 sounds just a hair below the Katana.
Katana always
Katana.
Boss is bees
Per me è più aperto il Boss sound