Another New Kemper owner - But I also own an Axe Fx -- Does this mean I'm nuts?

    Greetings everyone. :)


    As an Axe Fx II XL User I had been reading about Kempers for a long time and watching the tug 'o' war between both sides of fanboys in the forums.


    The more I read the more curious I became and I guess I am one of the lucky ones that can fall in the camp of owning both units.


    I have had the Kemper for a few days now and am getting to know it's nuances. I think the comparison between the two has been pretty well beat to death by now so I am not going to belabor this with a premature review of my experiences until I have had a good time to work with it.


    I am running both units into a Carvin DCM-2000L amp and from there to an Atomic CLR wedge FRFR system. Maybe someone with a similar system could share some global settings or preferences that they like with an FRFR to get a good and accurate sound out of the Kemper.


    Maybe I'm nuts for owning both units as they can overlap in many places, but each has a personally of its own and fortunately they haven't fought with each other even though they are adjacent rack-mates!


    I'm looking forward to getting the most out of my new Kemper!

    Welcome!
    I once had the profiler and the Axe II side by side but decided to part with the latter.
    As for the settings: do you own the passive Version of the CLR?
    If your poweramp is fairly flat you should leave output settings of the profiler flat as well because the CLR's are as flat as can be.;)

    Once you have had a chance to get to know the KPA better I would be curious to get your impressions of how the 2 device can work best to compliment each other. I plan on getting an AxeFx II XL in a couple of months mainly for the effects (it seems to have a lot of delay options, shimmer etc.) that the KPA is missing right now.

    Welcome. I had the Axe II and Kemper at the same time for a while. Ended up selling the Axe because it just wasn't getting any use. If I were the type that needed a lot of effects and/or routing options I probably would have kept the Axe. For raw amp/cab tone, I preferred the Kemper by a large margin.

    Welcome to Kemperland. Lucky you! I'd love to own both units. Sounds like you have your head wrapped around this the right way. They each have their own strengths and it'll be interesting to hear how you end up using them. Keep us in the loop.

    Quote from SwAn1

    Once you have had a chance to get to know the KPA better I would be curious to get your impressions of how the 2 device can work best to compliment each other. I plan on getting an AxeFx II XL in a couple of months mainly for the effects (it seems to have a lot of delay options, shimmer etc.) that the KPA is missing right now.


    Fractal is coming out with a floorboard unit capable of 8 effects at a time. Has all but 2 of their effects. Seems like that would be a cheap option for you.

    boingdriver,


    The only thing "nuts" would be to never use one of them and keep it so long it loses your equity!


    If you use them, keep them. If they WOW you, keep them. I go by the "WOW" factor, and if I don't use something in a year, it goes to the chopping block.


    I did that with my ULTRA. Loved it's effects. But wasn't using it. Poor fella. He needed a better home than mine and found it.


    Welcome!

    I'm a recovering nut. BUT...I had the foresight to profile all my favorites from the AxeFx 2 (v14), and so in essence, even though I only have a Kemper, I still "have" an AxeFx! :)


    Both are terrific units. I'll never take anything away from either. It's a WONDERFUL time to be a guitar player!

    At this moment, I have a KPA and an Axe FX II XL and a Suhr PT100 sitting here along with a 1x12, 4x12 cab and and a CLR.
    I own the KPA, the AxeFX II XL is on loan and my buddy and I are doing a detailed tone/sound feel test.


    After very careful profiling and testing and adjusting, I will say that I am hard pressed to hear any major differences between the two units and the PT100 other than perceptive differences which may or may not be placebo affect.The KPA has shall I say a more organic feel, perhaps more analog. The AFX feels a bit more perfect or dare I say digital, but not in a bad way, just more perfect. My playing mistakes are more evident (bummer eh?)


    The biggest differences as many of you know:


    1. The AFX has a huge number of amazing effects. The KPA is no slouch either.
    2. The AFX has very flexible routing options.
    3. The KPA adjusts very like an amp from the front panel.
    4. The AFX has AxeEdit which is worth it's weight in gold.
    5. The new link for the Fractal Foot Controller is pretty cool.
    6. The KPA requires less tweaking to sound great, but not anywhere as much as some people will lead you to believe.
    7. The KPA form factor is only 9" deep, the AxeFX 15" or thereabout.
    8. I am sure there are more.


    Both units are really first rate, I would gladly own either or both.


    I will say that our testing with both the FRFR and Cabs show that both are capable of producing great sound. "The amp in the room" sound is kind of a silly concept that I keep reading about. They both play through an amp and both amps are in the room. I think the better description would be which one sounds more like a guitar amp, if that ls the sound you want.


    Anyway, good luck with your quest to obtain a great and dynamic sound.
    After a few days of this stuff, I think my ears are shot. Our conclusion is that both units are amazing, both can produce amazing sounds through the CLR and the Cabs and both are very musical. I prefer the Cab over the CLR, but that is just me. My buddy's preference is the CLR.


    So, if I could afford both, I would certainly own both.
    Go figure.

    Making the world better through music, one minor 7th at a time.