Urgent Advice Sought: Kemper Profiling Amp

The Helix would give you even more features and options.

The Kemper is great, though.

On mlp, one of my trusted buddies has a Kemper and a Helix (either floor or XT, can't remember which). He prefers the Helix at this point. He had the Kemper first. The Helix was supposed to be just to play with. Now he takes it to band practice and uses it most of the time.
 
I did some research some time ago and I was looking at unpowered ultimately. Although the powered version provides convenience and compatibility, there are many appropriate power amps that can be found. The downside to the powered is that you are stuck with it, and if there are problems, you are limited in service options and replacement. Eventually, there are always issues with power amps.
 
Last edited:
mdubya said:
You could do a pair of monitors on sticks; one for you and one for the rest of the band. A pair of Altos or QSC's would be more than enough to take care of business IMHO. I would also rely on powered monitors in this case for power considerations.
Click to expand...
You bring up a very good point. By running in stereo (from the unpowered head) I also may be able to split my speaker positioning up to give the band a feed and me my own personal monitor. I guess that is really ideal. Only downside is having to buy powered speakers which I am assuming is a wash versus the extra expense of the powered head.

Thanks everyone for the help as long as I can land the deal I believe based on everyones feedback here and elsewhere my gut inclination of unpowered head into powered speakers should be the best bet. If I end up getting it I will report back.
 
I believe you can even drive a passive speaker with a powered one. But there are lots of powered speakers to choose from, new, used, cheap, expensive; they run the gamut. Lots of choices in every price range.
 
I have the unpowered Kemper and I have two powered FRFR monitors. I can tell you they get Mighty LOUD! One is a Mission Engineering Gemini wedge and the other is a
Line 6 Stagesource L2t. Both sound great together or alone.

The Kemper is a fantastic piece of gear and I use it almost exclusively. There are just so many great rigs that have been modeled out there the sound possibilities are almost endless.

I also had a Helix. It was also great, but I didn't want a floor unit. I had them both at the same time and decided to keep the Kemper.
 
I'd get the unpowered version.

Offload the heat and power required for amplification to an external amp and speakers or a set of good FRFR powered speakers.
 
OK so update. I have decided on the unpowered. MF is saying the cyber monday coupon would not apply but they would price match. I foudn 2 dealers willing to give me 15% for sure but I rather go thru MF to use my in store credit. They are supposed to let me know tomorrow morning. If so, then my out of pocket expense for the head and foot controller is only $967. If not, then I will probably grab it at 15% from another dealer and use my MF credit for the speakers.

Good to see some positive comments about the Line 6 FRFRs. I use a lot of Line 6 gear and am generally pleased. I only preferred the Kemper due to the knob based tweaking which I like better than working in a bunch of menus on a screen.
 
Big Daddy B said:
OK so update. I have decided on the unpowered. MF is saying the cyber monday coupon would not apply but they would price match. I foudn 2 dealers willing to give me 15% for sure but I rather go thru MF to use my in store credit. They are supposed to let me know tomorrow morning. If so, then my out of pocket expense for the head and foot controller is only $967. If not, then I will probably grab it at 15% from another dealer and use my MF credit for the speakers.

Good to see some positive comments about the Line 6 FRFRs. I use a lot of Line 6 gear and am generally pleased. I only preferred the Kemper due to the knob based tweaking which I like better than working in a bunch of menus on a screen.
Click to expand...

$976!!! You have some credit racked up or what??? That unit and controller go for $2250 online at most places...
 
well their back stage pass program gives you 8% back in credits and I did make a $12K purchase from them last month. So that is $960 in credit + 15% off the base price. Ironically one of my backup dealers on the Kemper, I do have $165 in rewards credit from another purchase. I can maybe use that towards the carrying bag.

I do most of my shopping online for better selection and lack of sales tax, so might as well shop where i can get some rebates and what have you. I can't remember the last time I paid for strings. Plus one dealer is within 250 miles of me so even free shipping ground I get my stuff within 1-2 days. Just go online, buy a dozen packs of strings and they show up in my mailbox and it doesn't really cost me anything outside of my initial purchase.

I know a lot of guys are like no way to buying gear online, especially guitars they can't play but I have been doing it for years and have no regrets. Even when I have had problems they have always been resolved going thru the proper channels. I have about a half dozen dealers I usually go thru and have contacts that I work with regularly. I assume they get commissioned so benefits them to work with me vs taking my business elsewhere. A little leverage can save a lot. If anyone is interested I am happy to share my contacts with several dealers coast to coast and even overseas.
 
Here is an interesting video when considering speakers/monitors. It includes the Line 6 L2M. It also includes the 10" version of my QSC K8. I use this to demonstrate the woofiness I hear from my K8. I have also found that I can mostly neutralize the woof by putting the speaker on its side (the manu does not recommend doing this). Others have said mounting it on a pole does the same thing.

In this video, I do think the real amp sounds best. I like the Line 6 least, but the more he cycles through the different setups, the more they all sound OK to good, to my ears.

It does show that not all FRFR monitors are the same. Youtuber Kley deJong recommends the Alto TS212. He says it gets you most of the way there for a fraction of the cost.


FWIW-I was hoping for a much easier plug and play situation with my AX8. Through headphones, the models are nothing short of amazing. Through monitors, the monitors have been the weak link. I am loving the XiTone at this point. I got the QSC sounding pretty good. But the XiTone was damn close to plug and play. They make one with a cloth grill that looks like a traditional cabinet, if that factors for you. In a perfect world, that is what I would go with. I am cool with the metal grill for now since it sounds great.
 
Thanks a lot I will check this out. I don't know that much about FRFRs. This is a bold new frontier for me. I finally have arrived in the 2010s decade.
 
Those Gemini wedges sound great!

This video from David W. is a great one, too. Love his reaction.


I want to try one of the Geminis for sure!
 
The Kemper arrived Saturday. Actually it arrived Thursday but I had a change of heart/mind and decided to swap it for the Powerhead. I plugged it in for 30 mins last night and sounds glorious through phones but have not yet had to time to explore.

I was busy working Saturday...
xlarge.jpg

...and celebrating Sunday (well, most of Saturday too)!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top