Can KPA be for life?


  • I think it always depands of the company´s philosophy. Since Kemper is the same company as access i would not worry much about it. The first generation of the virus sythesizer is from 1997. Even the old models still get firmware updates and can be serviced.


    +1 Many big companies intentionally design electric products with a short planned lifespan so new models can be sold frequently for profit (bad for the environment). Perfectly working printers that fail after a pre-determined short number of prints secretly decided by the company is a classic case.


    They have designed the Access Virus synth models for longevity in mind and I think they really aim for this with the Kemper as well.
    They might already have a big spare part storage for times when some components no longer are made. It might also be designed to be able to be compatible with new updated components when repaired, even when they release additional kemper products in the future. Also sound/profile compatability between products is something I think they aim for.


  • The current model KPAs? Nope, no way.


    I bet within 5 years the DSP chip(s) and other components used in the current KPAs will no longer be produced - they'll be obsoleted and replaced with newer, but not necessarily pin-for-pin compatible, components. I've been a software engineer in the digital world for a long time and have seen this happen over and over again. Eventually, no matter how willing Kemper is to provide repair services, they simply won't be able to find some of the components that will fail.


    Welcome to the world of digital electronics!


    BTW, I've seen some Line6 AX2s lately... those came out in '96 or '97 I believe. That's nearly 20 years ago. And they are still being used. I have a Yamaha DG Stomp that I use all the time that is from 2001 or so, and I step on the thing, throw it in the trunk of my car as a backup to my Kemper, etc - and it works great. Just because it's digital doesn't mean it's going to fall apart.

  • BTW, I've seen some Line6 AX2s lately... those came out in '96 or '97 I believe. That's nearly 20 years ago. And they are still being used. I have a Yamaha DG Stomp that I use all the time that is from 2001 or so, and I step on the thing, throw it in the trunk of my car as a backup to my Kemper, etc - and it works great. Just because it's digital doesn't mean it's going to fall apart.


    Absolutely, I didn't think I implied that digital electronics can't last a very long time. :thumbup:


    Actually, I think the KPA (non-powered) would probably last a very long time because it doesn't seem to generate much heat. But if in, say, 20 years a memory chip fails, Kemper (or any qualified service technician) would almost certainly have a hard time finding an exact or equivalent replacement chip.