NAMM 2019

  • I hate being a pessimist, but given that they're "looking for feedback" means this won't be a shipping product for a while. And if history is a predictor, it may be a LOOOONG while.

    That also came to my mind. But then I went to the Kemper site looking for some more info (there was none) and ended finding the new about the release of the last beta from june. I'm talking about the Spring Reverb beta that also included the Celestion IRs. And if you take a look at the picture that illustrates the announcement , guess what cab they were already playing with...


    00A012327BFD.jpg?v5

  • So for all of those who speculated about a kemper 2 or a floorboard, you will be dissapointed. ^^ It won't happen this year either. I guess the same speculations will pop up next year again. 8o

    Think for yourself, or others will think for you wihout thinking of you

    Henry David Thoreau

  • The key to everything is patience.
    You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.
    -- Arnold H. Glasow


    If it doesn't produce results, don't do it.

    -- Me

    Edited 4 times, last by HCarlH ().

  • I'm so-disappointed to have to say it, but the spec's, in the form they're provided, are a joke!


    In the genreal-specification section, instead of a proper frequency-response description (eg. 20Hz-> 20kHz, +/- 1.5dB), we're given a "Frequency-range" one. This tells us practically-nothing. Even your crappiest home-stereo speaker's gonna produce 60Hz ->20kHz, the range quoted. Sure, it may be down x amount at 20kHz or60Hz, but there's still a measurable response, which again, is all this specification format tells us.


    Then there's the graph. This is passed off as a frequency-response chart, which it technically is, but instead of providing us with a reference to the input level, which is usually represented by a "zero" line in the centre, they've shown only a level "curve" that reveals a 30dB variation across the spectrum. 30dB! Are you kidding?


    No wonder they opted to avoid the standard +/- dB above-and-below-the-zero-line format. It would have meant that the response shown would have had to deviate 15dB in both directions (+ and -) at a minimum, but more-likely be lop-sided, possibly reaching into the 20s in one of them. That would've looked pathetic and raised alarm bells for any audio person who looked at it.


    Anyone who knows anything about FR charts knows that this would look ridiculous and not-even-good for a set of satellite computer speakers. In fact, it's the most-terrible response deviation I've ever seen for any piece of equipment claiming to be flat-response. Remember, it's the FR (full-range) FR (flat-response) market that they're going to be competing in with these things. A 30dB deviation is so far from a flat response I'm at a loss for an appropriate descriptive term.


    OK, so the spec's are suspicious to say the least, but what about the advertising blurb? Surely that would provide some insight; maybe I'm reading the spec section incorrectly? Put your seatbelt on and hang onto your hat:


    1) "... truly full range driver..." - It's not full-range, let alone truly-full-range, but it's appropriate for guitar-cab simulation.

    2) "... that delivers a frequency response from 60Hz all the way up to 20kHz..." - Wow! Really? See expose above.

    3) "... enables the F12-X200 to reproduce the full spectrum of audible frequencies..." - Really? So nobody can hear below 60Hz? Further to that, the spectrum means nothing if the levels (response) ain't there. See expose above.

    4) "... for the most accurate output possible..." - P-lease. 30dB of response variation can't be described in any universe as being "accurate", let alone as-accurate-as-possible.

    5) "... response is remarkably neutral.." - Uugghh... and I fly remarkably like Superman.

    6) "... with Celestion technology built in to ensure there are no unwanted colourations... " - Words fail me.


    If you tweak your Rigs to sound good through this, God help you if you sent that signal to FOH. Sure, the engineer will shape it as-necessary, but it's not going to sound anything like the KPA's post-cab-sim output. You'll be having your pants flapped in blissful ignorance of what's really going on out there off-stage.


    If that's a problem, imagine recording those Rigs. You would never want to make tweaks based on what you hear from this thing and then expect to hear anything like what you think you have post-recording unless you mic'd the FRFR cab, which would defeat the purpose of the KPA for recording anyway.


    Lastly, there's one aspect of the blurb I can't argue with, and feel, based on the spec's I've seen, that it ought rightly to be the main selling point of the cab, and that's the claimed authentic physical feedback one would expect from a guitar cabinet. I see no reason to doubt this claim. The cynic in me, unfortunately, sees a salesperson standing next to a rig saying, "Check out our latest FRFR cab for modellers; It's FR... without the second FR, but hey, it feels like a friggin' cab, mate.".


    So, based on the advertising blurb, I'd definitely hold onto my money and let it prove itself in-the-wild long before parting with my hard-earned if I were you, guys.

  • the spec's, in the form they're provided, are a joke!

    I can't see a lot to complain about in the given data (some marketing blah blah aside).

    The LowCut that kicks in from 150Hz downwards should be quite helpful for electric guitar and the chosen LowCut should be perfectly fine even for guitars tuned down to C#, maybe even C.

    Apart from this, the slight boost at 2kHz should be yet another welcome help.

    The rest will be seen whenever we can actually hear it, built into a proper cab.

    Frequency response curves have NEVER helped me judging the perceived sound of any speaker. :)


    PS: I should have added that the added (built-in) compression driver for the high frequencies will likely make the biggest difference to a regular guitar cab. Everything from 5kHz up will likely add considerably to the overall clarity. Let's see if it works out well or if it gets harsh in the top end. Nothing we can judge from watching the graph.