KPA ready?

  • 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

    With every product there is a risk of being disappointed. The KPA is an evolving thing. If you want a 100% guarantee perhaps something like a torpedo would be what you are looking for.

  • 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...

    First of all, I have no LED that has passed away on my unit. I have never had any issues on my KPA and the sound is just perfect.
    The chance that LEDs will fail might be existing but if so you're under warranty and can get this fixed - or you just don't mind and accept it.
    Honestly I wouldn't need any of the LEDs to be happy except for the input/output ones (for clipping).


    Regards,
    Daniel

  • Quote

    that there is a big chance that those leds will fail


    The real problem is how big can you estimate that chance, without being cheated by the "complaint-on-internet magnifier effect"...


    How much people with failed led can you count on this forum ? 10 ? 20 ? 100 ? More ?
    How many people in the world with failed leds will come and relate it on this forum ? 10% ? 20% ? 50 % ? More ?
    How many units have been sold in the whole world ?
    Without this figures, how can you estimate a reliable chance to have failing leds, to the point you renounce to buy one of the greatest guitar gear of these last years ?
    Personaly, I can't, so I bought and 'alea jacta est' ;)

  • 3??? wow... why so many?


    1. unit was a pioneer unit I sold after getting the black one. Decided to get the rack version, found out it was a mistake and bought the black toaster again.


    (Yes, I do know I'm nuts :D)

    MJT Strats / PRS Guitars / Many DIY Guitars -- Kemper Profiler Rack / Kemper Remote / InEar

  • I tend to find this question very manipulative (implying the Kemper has not been ready until recently).


    Help yourself by spending time on the boards -> reading the discussions in the various subcategories.
    Then make a decision based on your findings. What answers do you expect from people who use their units regularly anyway?


    This is the prototype question/post that will lead to heated discussions if people take it seriously.

    90% of the game is half-mental.

  • The real problem is how big can you estimate that chance, without being cheated by the "complaint-on-internet magnifier effect"...


    How much people with failed led can you count on this forum ? 10 ? 20 ? 100 ? More ?
    How many people in the world with failed leds will come and relate it on this forum ? 10% ? 20% ? 50 % ? More ?
    How many units have been sold in the whole world ?
    Without this figures, how can you estimate a reliable chance to have failing leds, to the point you renounce to buy one of the greatest guitar gear of these last years ?
    Personaly, I can't, so I bought and 'alea jacta est' ;)


    exactly! that was the intent of this thread: to get to know those who's units are working and didn't fail. i'm more convinced now that it'll be ok than i was when reading the failure posts. thanks for that guys!

  • I tend to find this question very manipulative (implying the Kemper has not been ready until recently).


    Help yourself by spending time on the boards -> reading the discussions in the various subcategories.
    Then make a decision based on your findings. What answers do you expect from people who use their units regularly anyway?


    This is the prototype question/post that will lead to heated discussions if people take it seriously.


    i don't think it's manipulative. it was not ready for sure when i tried it last year (i was one of the first (buying) users), but that's another story.
    i expect a better picture if also users with good experience (regarding leds) speak about it. if i had not asked this question i would only have the posts from "problems and troubleshooting"-threads to judge upon. i get a more even picture about that topic this way.
    it will only become a heated discussion if you take it personally, and i know that this forum is one of the better ones with kind people helping each other.

  • Still those led failing stories even with newer kpas (inheriting the power amp which indicates that it's not older than 6-8 months)


    This issue has been identified. It was a batch of components that had a small chance to fail. There aren't that many reports given the number of KPAs sold in total.


    It is definitely fixed since late 2012. If your KPA has this issue, you can let it be repaired by warranty. To do so, contact Kemper Support. Always include the serial number when contacting support.


    Timo


  • This issue has been identified. It was a batch of components that had a small chance to fail. There aren't that many reports given the number of KPAs sold in total.


    It is definitely fixed since late 2012. If your KPA has this issue, you can let it be repaired by warranty. To do so, contact Kemper Support. Always include the serial number when contacting support.


    Timo


    How do we know when our KPA was made ?( I brought mine from Andertons in december 2012 would this be effected or not as its late 2012 but obviously made before then ;)

  • How do we know when our KPA was made I brought mine from Andertons in december 2012 would this be effected or not as its late 2012 but obviously made before then


    It can be exactly determined when it was built. You need to open a support ticket and include your serial number.


    Timo

  • 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.

    Hey Jeff, let me say a couple of things just to clarify my position in this story :)


    I was not trying to minimize the gravity of the issue we're discussing by saying it was a defective batch; was just reporting what mothership has declared through Timo FYI.


    Having said this, we don't know how large the batch was nor how many units have been build by it. And maybe it was the whole supply from a certain manufacturer (which has hopefully been rejected at this time) and not just a single delivery. We don't know.


    Last, but not least, I'm 100% with you with the sentiment that I would not buy anything potentially defective, even tho its main performances were assured. Wonder who's going to buy a car with an aesthetically defective dashboard (or with a scratch on its body) just because it's able to take you from point A to point B as advertised...


    Having said so, again, it's true that we have no idea about the percentage of defective units, even tho 10 people on this forum is alarming enough to me. And the units are under warranty.
    So, the most critical point is: provided that any eventual defect will be covered by the warranty, how much would it bother you should you be in the need of sending the unit to have it serviced? And, most of all: how higher is the possibility for your unit to need service if compared to any other unit on the market?


    I'm not going to give you my opinion, it would be useless :D


    Let us know! :thumbup:

  • Ok guys, as I said before, I sent an email to support regarding the broken LEDs in my toaster. I got a reply within 45 minutes where I'm told that I have 2 options. I've bought mine at Thomann 10 months ago, so i could send it to Thomann and they would handle the process with the service partner. Other option is to send it directly to the service partner with all necessary information.


    1. The way through Thomann is easier and cheaper (free) but will take 1 - 1.5 weeks more time.


    2. The way directly to the service partner will be faster but I will have to pay transport and provide all required information.


    I decided to postpone the repair to my next vacations so I don't have to miss my Profiler to hard.


    Cheers,
    Martin

  • ... it was not ready for sure when i tried it last year (i was one of the first (buying) users), but that's another story.


    Elfredo, I think we once briefly checked that I am the owner of the unit that you, as a first time buyer, sent back to Thomann.
    (Because I wasn't able to register my serial at first and I found out Thomann erroneously sent me a returned unit instead of a new one).


    In this case I can gladly inform you that
    1. this very unit was as ready as can be from day one and gets constant use as well live and in the studio.
    2. this very unit to this day has 100% working LED's.


    :)

  • Elfredo, I think we once briefly checked that I am the owner of the unit that you, as a first time buyer, sent back to Thomann.
    (Because I wasn't able to register my serial at first and I found out Thomann erroneously sent me a returned unit instead of a new one).


    In this case I can gladly inform you that
    1. this very unit was as ready as can be from day one and gets constant use as well live and in the studio.
    2. this very unit to this day has 100% working LED's.


    :)


    :thumbup:

    90% of the game is half-mental.

  • 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

    I understand your perspective on why a bunch of people who love a product are more tolerant of problems it may incur. I also do not question your view that you are spending a lot of money for a product and want a solid product.


    I am just pointing out that of all the things that could have potentially gone wrong with an electronic device, you should be able to see that the KPA is still a very solid unit if the worst of your worries are going to be sitting at home wondering if you just won the "LED lottery". If you win then it gets fixed/replaced, if you lose then you sit and play without LED issues. It really is that simple. This isn't a 1-in-5 chance thing or everyone would be complaining and demanding recalls or product remakes. It is probably a 1-in-50 or 1-in-100, I have no idea how many units are out there so I can only speculate.

  • I won't lie, I've recieved my 1st kemper (2 month ago) with dead guitar input, I've been so frustrated. Next day Thomann sent me UPS ticket , UPS took it back the same day , 5 Days later , new Kemper at my house and since this day, i've had no issue ,no dead led ,no aliasing ,no crash and I've done like 15 gigs since it.


    But I have 1 thing..



    The greatest guitar sound i've ever had since i'm playing guitar..!



    For sure, sometimes i'm a bit scared when I see these topics about dead leds , DPS errors or things like this but for these 10,15 or 20 posts, how many people have a unit without any problems?



    (PS: Sorry for my bad english)


  • For sure, sometimes i'm a bit scared when I see these topics about dead leds , DPS errors or things like this but for these 10,15 or 20 posts, how many people have a unit without any problems?



    (PS: Sorry for my bad english)

    Thats the thing. If everyone came on here and made a thread stating how much they like the KPA every time they had a good experience with it, the good threads would outweigh the bad ones so much it would be difficult to find people complaining.


    If we check out other forums we can see a lot of people buy the KPA for reasons like it is more reliable or easier to use than their old gear. It really takes things out of context when we should know that most people who do have an issue will come here to post on it to see if it is just their KPA or how to go about a replacement.