Compared frfr against solid state guit combo's today

  • I tested some active monitors against solidstate guitar amps in the shop today.
    I used Bert meulendijks profiles (most agree this is top quality), and my prs 513.


    My observation is quite different then what i find on this forum...disclaimer...hey...its just an opinion :)


    I tried the Yamaha dxr10. This to me sounded not good at all. Highs were nasty at high volumes, killed a lot of dynamics i hear on my studio monitors, also sounded "boxy" and artificial...compared to an "amp in the room". I used to play miced cabinet over a monitor, it beats that...but to me no where near to an "amp" sensation.
    I also tried aer monitors, idnk the model, those to me where a lot better...but still not what i look for.


    Then cab sim off and plug-in returnes of solidstate combo's.


    I tried a Roland jc120...that sounded a lot better, right from the first note...very usable and open.
    The sound was maybe a little more compressed then desired, i used to play a jc...that struck me as charactristic for the amp.
    The smaller version of the jc was to agressive in highs at higher volume.


    The second Roland...a bluesxxxx (cant remember), sounded more open, less compressed, required a little damping of high and présence.


    The third...and remarkably my winner: a cheap ass 300,- Boss kantana.
    I had the whole sales crew there scratching their heads how on earth that sound came from a Kantana.


    My next step is to compare between tube combo and solid state combo...but for now...any solid state combo with a Kemper gives me better results then i have had in a lifetime of experimenting!

  • Great, thanks for your insights.

  • be careful
    maybe you're used to amp in the room sound
    but with KPA you get the whole chain inkl Mic etc
    so at least its a recorded or mixed sound
    but anyway when for you the results are satisfying
    go for it
    but with frfr you will get the most realistic results
    from the profiles and what they are profiled with

  • @BOB ...for recording/iem/fho...im 100% with you!
    And maybe frfr represents profiles more accurate on stage, at least in theory, to me, a guitar speaker gives much better result..maybe not more accurate...but better sounding, more dynamic and playable.


    Even with the profiled cab and mic out of the chain...Kemper beats everything i ever used before..

  • so you are
    an amp in the room sound guy
    which is nothing bad :thumbup:
    everybody should sound like he want
    thats one thing the KPA can deliver too
    without any problem
    its so versatile this KPA

  • Budget amps or expensive pro equipment...whatever works for you, don't let anyone try to convince you that something sounds bad. But, with that said, by not going FRFR, you're missing all sorts of opportunities to try various cabs and speakers. You're limiting yourself to just that ONE setup. It might sound great with some profiles but not so great on others and you're stuck with it. And, let's be honest, of course a real guitar cabinet is going to sound better than a simulated one!!! Guess what, a real amp will too! But, limiting yourself to just one rig isn't why most of us bought into the KPA.

  • ...by not going FRFR, you're missing all sorts of opportunities to try various cabs and speakers. You're limiting yourself to just that ONE setup. It might sound great with some profiles but not so great on others and you're stuck with it. And, let's be honest, of course a real guitar cabinet is going to sound better than a simulated one!!! Guess what, a real amp will too! But, limiting yourself to just one rig isn't why most of us bought into the KPA.

    Kind of. Really, you're just limiting yourself to one speaker/cab. You still have loads of versatility, compared to the vast majority of good tube amps, by going through a combo or power amp/cab. Every profile doesn't sound good anyway, regardless of setup. I'm a DXR and monitors user, but I am curious about trying this out, considering the price a Katana goes for.

  • I tried out the 100W 1x12 Katana a week ago on it's own, but I wasn't impressed. However, I also think the amp models on my Boss ME-80 are the unit's weak link (love the rest of the pedal though). It makes sense that boss would try to source a pretty flat speaker for the unit though. Sounds like a nice solution to use with a Kemper, and if the Kemper goes down, you still have an amp to play with.

    I hate emojis, but I hate being misunderstood more. :)

  • Bummer brother, you did not try the active MISSION GEMINI FRFR CAB...2X12 ...
    BUT STEREO.


    A Mono signal at home to practice to me was NOTHING compared to the stereo effect (made me want to play and write more cause of the tone)
    Gemini are loud /DYNAMIC and stereo is just the shite Brah PLEASE PLEASE try the mission and tell me i am wrong :)


    Ash

    Have a beer and don't sneer. -CJ. Two non powered Kempers -Two mission stereo FRFR Cabs - Ditto X4 -TC electronic Mimiq.

  • Yep this is not fair , because its such a good amp man,
    Mission call it an AMP not speaker BTW :)
    even worse i cant record and show you guys :(
    I am working on it, gotta save up more than "phree fitty" to buy it, but its worth it,
    the Stereo sound from the 2X12 is just amazing. i am saving up to make sound clouds for you guys.


    Bah, let me see if i can find some local mates to do some recording for me...
    leave it with me.


    Its a real shame you can test it in the shop
    with Modelers becoming more popular now days i wonder why they dont get them in....


    Ash

    Have a beer and don't sneer. -CJ. Two non powered Kempers -Two mission stereo FRFR Cabs - Ditto X4 -TC electronic Mimiq.

  • Rethinking this...how about somebody building a cab midi switchable between frfrf and guit mode...would that be as simple as turning processor and tweeter off?
    Would give us all options underneath a knob of our controller.


    I would be in The market for it!

  • Rethinking this...how about somebody building a cab midi switchable between frfrf and guit mode...would that be as simple as turning processor and tweeter off?
    Would give us all options underneath a knob of our controller.


    I would be in The market for it!

    There is one already existing:
    http://shop.ritteramps.de/de/18-frfr-boxen
    It's switchable between FRFR and GRFR.

  • it's nice to get this kind of review, I like paying my KPA on a combo from time to times, as you often get an incredible tone out of a standard combo.


    Mustang Fender II & III are also known as good solid state amps for the KPA.


    It could be a great idea to gather all amps in a single thread

  • Rethinking this...how about somebody building a cab midi switchable between frfrf and guit mode...would that be as simple as turning processor and tweeter off?
    Would give us all options underneath a knob of our controller.


    I would be in The market for it!

    My Barefaced Big Baby 2 bass cabinet does this too. It's a flat 12" with a tweeter that when the tweeter is rolled off, the HF is sent back to the 12". Basically it's GRFR to FRFR with a blend knob. I can't say enough about how much I love this cabinet for both guitar and bass.


    http://barefacedbass.com/product-range/Big-Baby-2.htm

    I hate emojis, but I hate being misunderstood more. :)