jenton70
Senior Member
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2009
- Messages
- 6,391
- Reaction score
- 12,272
I've had a number of people ask about the KPA so I thought I'd post my impressions here.
Short answer for those not inclined to read - it's the single most important gear-buying decision I've ever made. Get it.
Let's look at the big 3 criteria for me when choosing an amp. Tone at lower volume, user-friendly layout, price (total investment).
Tone at lower volume - it's a no-brainer. The nature of the KPA is that it's a studio tool. I think they were envisioned as existing in studios around the world and I believe they do. Profile your big, loud, clunky, temperamental, wonderful sounding tube amps and use them whenever you want, wherever you are. It's a great concept and it's beautifully realized here. I personally can't hear any difference between the recorded real amp and the KPA profile. Remember, if you're running through reference monitors it will sound as if you are hearing a playback of an amp in an iso room. With nice flat response speakers it just sounds incredible at any volume. Believe the hype.
User-friendly layout - it's good. I have it connected to the Rig Manager software on my PC. It makes downloading and selecting profiles easy. There is a certain amount of deep editing available but I use it sparingly. The KPA is all about the profile, which is already dialed-in. It's not about crafting tones in the way a Fractal might be. If you're a guy who wants to deep dive into editing you might prefer a Fractal or Helix TBH. I prefer a couple quick tweaks and then just adjusting the sound from my guitar.
Price - kind of expensive. It's nowhere close to as expensive as buying a huge number of tube amps and keeping them maintained. But the unit itself is not cheap. Also, you'll probably need to invest in studio monitors or a nice FRFR wedge. After that, if you're like me, you'll spend a bunch of $ buying profiles from pros. I've spent over $100 on them so far. So, there's an expense involved here to be sure. But, again, the KPA gives you fingertip access to any amp you want. And I mean a great reproduction of the sound. A 3k or so investment is pennies compared to the relative value vs. owning the tube amps.
An interesting thing happened in the relatively short time I've owned my KPA. I discovered MY amp is not actually what I believed for years it was. I considered myself a Marshall guy. I've owned over a dozen of them, including vintage ones. I've run them with attenuation at home and used them in my band for many years. But the Kemper allows you to listen critically at reasonable volumes and A/B amps all day if you want. I wanted. And it turns out I'm a Fender Tweed guy. 50's Tweed Super is my current favorite. It's the sound I've always been after. Having it immediately available is amazing. And the investment in the KPA was worth it if for no other reason.
Short answer for those not inclined to read - it's the single most important gear-buying decision I've ever made. Get it.
Let's look at the big 3 criteria for me when choosing an amp. Tone at lower volume, user-friendly layout, price (total investment).
Tone at lower volume - it's a no-brainer. The nature of the KPA is that it's a studio tool. I think they were envisioned as existing in studios around the world and I believe they do. Profile your big, loud, clunky, temperamental, wonderful sounding tube amps and use them whenever you want, wherever you are. It's a great concept and it's beautifully realized here. I personally can't hear any difference between the recorded real amp and the KPA profile. Remember, if you're running through reference monitors it will sound as if you are hearing a playback of an amp in an iso room. With nice flat response speakers it just sounds incredible at any volume. Believe the hype.
User-friendly layout - it's good. I have it connected to the Rig Manager software on my PC. It makes downloading and selecting profiles easy. There is a certain amount of deep editing available but I use it sparingly. The KPA is all about the profile, which is already dialed-in. It's not about crafting tones in the way a Fractal might be. If you're a guy who wants to deep dive into editing you might prefer a Fractal or Helix TBH. I prefer a couple quick tweaks and then just adjusting the sound from my guitar.
Price - kind of expensive. It's nowhere close to as expensive as buying a huge number of tube amps and keeping them maintained. But the unit itself is not cheap. Also, you'll probably need to invest in studio monitors or a nice FRFR wedge. After that, if you're like me, you'll spend a bunch of $ buying profiles from pros. I've spent over $100 on them so far. So, there's an expense involved here to be sure. But, again, the KPA gives you fingertip access to any amp you want. And I mean a great reproduction of the sound. A 3k or so investment is pennies compared to the relative value vs. owning the tube amps.
An interesting thing happened in the relatively short time I've owned my KPA. I discovered MY amp is not actually what I believed for years it was. I considered myself a Marshall guy. I've owned over a dozen of them, including vintage ones. I've run them with attenuation at home and used them in my band for many years. But the Kemper allows you to listen critically at reasonable volumes and A/B amps all day if you want. I wanted. And it turns out I'm a Fender Tweed guy. 50's Tweed Super is my current favorite. It's the sound I've always been after. Having it immediately available is amazing. And the investment in the KPA was worth it if for no other reason.
