Hughes & Kettner Redefines the Acoustic Amplifier with era 1

Hughes & Kettner has entered the acoustic world with the release of era 1, a premium 250-watt acoustic amplifier built at the firm’s headquarters in Sankt Wendel, Germany.

Designed and engineered in cooperation with Michael Eisenmann – a renowned acoustic amp guru who is the brains behind some of the greatest acoustic amplifiers of all time – era 1 is the truest an amp of this type has ever been to the original tone of the instrument.

era 1 offers players richly detailed note definition and a wonderfully responsive, dynamic playing feel. The amp features four channels: Channels 1 and 2 are identical and are equally well suited for either two instruments, one instrument and one voice, or two voices. Channel 3 serves as an input for external audio sources (e.g. smartphones, MP3 players, etc.) and Channel 4 is a superb bus for line-level devices.

A powerful EQ section and a comprehensive array of built-in effects allow performers to shape the tone of their instrument(s) and vocals. There are 16 FX in total (including various reverbs, delays, chorus and flanger, and combinations of the various types) and many can be adjusted, customized and saved as presets at will. On the rear panel, era 1 features outputs suitable for any conceivable professional purpose, including a DI output, a stereo Line Out, and an S/PDIF-Toslink optical out.

Rüdiger Forse, Hughes & Kettner’s Senior Product Manager, said: “With era 1, Hughes & Kettner has raised the bar for the whole acoustic amplification industry and started a whole new era! Never has an acoustic amp so successfully amplified instruments without coloring the tone – until now. This is the ultimate for musicians, singer-songwriters and classical players everywhere. We’re thrilled we could work with Michael Eisenmann to create this monster!”

Michael Eisenmann said: “Designing an acoustic amp with a rock ‘n’ roll company was an exciting challenge, and era 1 is the result of great teamwork. The result is a made-in-Germany step up the evolutionary ladder! era 1 is an extremely versatile tool for amplifying acoustic instruments, even for complicated ones like the violin, and it takes the whole concept of being small, loud, easy to use and very dynamic to a whole new level.”

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