KPA ready?

  • Hey guys! :D


    After one and a half years I thought I'd try the KPA again and see if all the early bigs (from february 2012) are gone. But while looking through all the posts in this forum I tend to think that there is still a high risk when bying. Still those led failing stories even with newer kpas (inheriting the power amp which indicates that it's not older than 6-8 months) and posts about still missing features (knobs or menus without function). ?(


    Is this true? How do you guys think and feel about it?


    Best, Chris

  • Best piece of kit ever and completely reliable. Love it and woulnt change it for the world :thumbup::thumbup:


    BUY, BUY, BUY!!!!!!!!!!! ;)



    already bought it when it came out (one and a half years ago), was disappointed (because of the many bugs) and gave it back. nobody knows why the leds are breaking?

  • I have the new power head (only about two months old) no leds issues. It does worry me but, not sure if there are a lot of people with dead leds? I've read a couple of post about dead leds but not a lot, IMHO. I also think Kemper will take care of me if any problems. Do wish the undo redo button worked.

  • ... I tend to think that there is still a high risk when bying.


    Hi Chris,


    I don't know what a "high risk" means in your eyes, but I bought the Profiler for its guitar/amp sound capabilities ... and these are simply amazing and well worth the money. Can't see any risk on this (the important) side of the story.
    Of course I don't like the LED issue either (5 gone on my unit), but this doesn't change the sound of it, right? Some have been lucky, some not. But to me there's nothing I would call a "high risk". A failing LED won't electrocute you. :D

  • My LED's are fine since December 2011
    The KPA sounds better than ever (antialiasing reduced, latency improved)
    There are a lot of new effects
    And much better profiles available ....

    (All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with soundside.de)


    Great Profiles --> soundside.de

  • I don't think you have to sell him on the kemper, he knows what it is and wants one, just wants one with no bugs.


    That is what you will get. No bugs. There has been a huge amount of work since you have owned it. The only bugs that are mentioned that I am aware of these days are the few firmwares that introduce them. They are picked up quickly by forum members and team kpa acts and fixes them quickly after.


    I have not seen any that affected playability or tone since I owned mine in March.


    I do not know the percentage of kpas with led issues but it would seem pretty low to not merit a recall. It could have been just a bad batch in production line or just a bad batch of leds that gets through QC.



    If leds are the worst of your worries then you really don't have much to worry about besides being without a kpa for a couple weeks should you need to send it in for a replacement. That seems like a pretty low chance to me.

  • The leds are still an issue. You dont have to look very far in the forums to see that. No one from Kemper will comment on it, and I do not know why. As far as leds go its the luck of the draw. Had 2 units fail a 3rd that didnt for the 7 months I had it, then just recently switched to the rack version which only has leds on the gain knob hoping it wouldnt be an issue. So far so good. Kemper has been outstanding though in standing behind their product. Both of the failed units were replaced, the second one was replaced before I even shipped the defective unit out. My only concern is what happens when the warranty runs out. Kemper has excellent customer support and the bugs really only appear if there is a new firmware, and they are very minimal. So there isnt much to worry about.

  • Last I checked the LED's don't affect the sound? I don't know too many amps that have that many LED's to fail? If mine fail out of warranty, as long as the sound doesn't fail i will be fine. just my two cents?

  • Actually, Timo has commented. It was a failed LEDs batch.

    I must have missed that. Im not arguing that theory, but I bought my first Kemper in February of 2012. 6 months later the leds were defective. Got my replacement unit around June (I think). First thing I did was dim all of the led collars. Down to almost nothing. 5 or so months later that unit had defective leds. Newer users are now getting defective leds. So I have trouble comprehending that it was just a single bad batch. I honestly hope they have it figured out now. Its not a huge issue, while warranty is still in place. Time will tell I guess.

  • LEDs have been a bit of a problem, but it doesn't affect the functionality or usability of the unit at all. You can still view the levels on the screen. Having the Kemper rack, I'm now used to not seeing LEDs except around the Gain knob. I would still buy a lunchbox unit that has all of the LEDs dead. Anyone have such a unit for sale? :thumbup:

    "Heavy Metal does have a message for the rest of the world: Fuck You!" -Sebastian Bach

  • i am once again surprised how forgiving and positive you guys are. it bothers me bying a product knowing that there is a big chance that those leds will fail... i already have a bad feeling when bying... :S ... so i have to think about it. i also cannot follow that bad led-batch explanation because the complaints are not limited to a short period of time but to a period of more than a year.


    but i don't wanna be misunderstood as troll... gotta sort that out for myself... after all it's 2100 € for this (powered) unit... but after all i love the concept. you guys are happy with it and it seems that actual functionality in sense of sound and software robustness is given. would love to see a solution to repair those leds by myself (after warranty expires) like knowing where to buy a pack of those leds and how to replace them. they are a big help in visualising your settings.


    so thank you for your response and not chasing me away for asking provocative questions. :whistling:
    this forum still got its spirit :D