Kone & Kabinet Q&A

  • I think that due to the port in the cabinet, the speaker response will be different than what the Imprint was designed for. As a result, the sound will differ from the ideal that Kemper designed to. This does not mean that it would sound bad, per se, but less like the chosen speaker.

    I don’t think that’s necessarily correct. If I understand what CK is saying the imprints will sound like the original speaker in that cabinet. For example, a V30 in a Mesa Thiele will sound Duffy to a V30 in a Marshall or Fender cab. Therefore, a V30 imprint will sound like a V30 in the same cabinet. Rather than the Konrad needing a specific style of cabinet to sound like a V30.


    That seems to be the idea but how it works in practice remains to be seen. Given Kemper’s track record though I have high hopes for this ?

  • You will never get the same sound on both outputs, it’s physically impossible, as one has a microphone and mic pre in the equation. Exactly the same as it would be onstage. However, I don’t know any guitarist that records main tracks in the same room as the speaker cabinet they are recording through, unless it’s to generate feedback, or it’s a “live in the studio” thing. At the very least, they wouldn’t be relying on it as their monitoring source. I think your theoretical application won’t work, if you need to trust the sound coming out of the Kone as the same as you’re committing to “tape”.

  • I don’t think that’s necessarily correct. If I understand what CK is saying the imprints will sound like the original speaker in that cabinet. For example, a V30 in a Mesa Thiele will sound Duffy to a V30 in a Marshall or Fender cab. Therefore, a V30 imprint will sound like a V30 in the same cabinet. Rather than the Konrad needing a specific style of cabinet to sound like a V30.


    That seems to be the idea but how it works in practice remains to be seen. Given Kemper’s track record though I have high hopes for this ?

    I agree with you. However few Oxford, Celestion Blue, or other iconic speakers are used in a ported cabinet. So, as I mentioned, they would not necessarily sound bad. Rather, different than intended. Since the speaker makes more difference in the overall sound than the amp driving it, changing the response will affect the way the profile is presented.


    In other words, don't expect that a great profile of an old Fender tweed amp will sound as authentic with the Kone in a ported cabinet, as opposed to a sealed Kabinet.

  • ckemper :


    Three questions:


    - I dislike asking this. I don’t want to sound ungrateful, because I most certainly am. The KPA is the best gear investment I’ve made since I began playing 28 years ago. But....


    Any estimate on the appearance of the powered version? Before year end?


    - Is the powered kabinet expected to be able to drive an unpowered one along with it?


    - Regardless of how they’re powered, is there any future possibility of running one KPA, two kabinets and having different imprints sent to each kabinet?

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

  • You will never get the same sound on both outputs, it’s physically impossible, as one has a microphone and mic pre in the equation. Exactly the same as it would be onstage. However, I don’t know any guitarist that records main tracks in the same room as the speaker cabinet they are recording through, unless it’s to generate feedback, or it’s a “live in the studio” thing. At the very least, they wouldn’t be relying on it as their monitoring source. I think your theoretical application won’t work, if you need to trust the sound coming out of the Kone as the same as you’re committing to “tape”.

    Thx Sam, but this is driving me nuts , to me the whole Kone/imprint point is useless for me if I can't do both simultaneously ( Kone for live tone in the studio + Spdif for recording) .


    I agree that the tone cannot be the same , but once you've set a good studio profile with it's own CAB for recording and the same profile minus the CAB part but the Kone + imprint and the results are satisfying , I'm OK.


    I just want to know if this parallel output solution will be available ?

  • So i have a tube power amp from my Line 6 Spider. The power amp is actually designed by Bogner. It has two 6L6 tubes.

    This would probably colour the sound too much in way that it would't make sense to get the Kone?


    I wouldn't worry too much about it, the Kab is just a speaker that can utilize the software to mimic many speakers. So you will still get the full benefits of the Kab itself regardless of your power amp. I typically use either the internal amp in my KPA or a QSC power amp, but once in a while I'll run the Kemper through my Marshall 9100 (eight 5881s), and while it does sound a bit different compared to the SS amps, it still sounds really good.

  • Thx Sam, but this is driving me nuts , to me the whole Kone/imprint point is useless for me if I can't do both simultaneously ( Kone for live tone in the studio + Spdif for recording) .


    I agree that the tone cannot be the same , but once you've set a good studio profile with it's own CAB for recording and the same profile minus the CAB part but the Kone + imprint and the results are satisfying , I'm OK.


    I just want to know if this parallel output solution will be available ?

    I'm fairly certain that what you're looking for here is the exact way it's intended to operate.

    Go for it now. The future is promised to no one. - Wayne Dyer

  • Thx Sam, but this is driving me nuts , to me the whole Kone/imprint point is useless for me if I can't do both simultaneously ( Kone for live tone in the studio + Spdif for recording) .


    I agree that the tone cannot be the same , but once you've set a good studio profile with it's own CAB for recording and the same profile minus the CAB part but the Kone + imprint and the results are satisfying , I'm OK.


    I just want to know if this parallel output solution will be available ?


    The Profiler has always been capable of running a real physical guitar speaker by its Monitor Output and the „MonitorCabOff‘ function, while the virtual CAB is still active on the other outputs, as you might know.

    Now this capabilities were simply expanded for using the Kone as your physical guitar speaker, and the choice of imprints on top. But the basic principle stays the same.

  • What amps would you recommend for unpowered Profiler users?


    Solid state power amps or digital power amps in general.

    They have a flat frequency responce and a predictable interaction (damping or output impedance) with the speaker.


    These properties cannot be expected from a tube power amp, thus results cannot be anticipated, unfortunately.

  • As I understand your explanations, it's no Problem to Change from the EVM12L in my Thiele-1x12"-cabinet to the Kemper-Kone. It will be very interesting for me to compare the result to a Kemper-Kabinett.

    Definetely worth a try.

    As for the fullrange setting, you should expect an emphasized bass responce, due to the ported cabinet.

    Give us feedback about the outcome, once it‘s there!

  • Are there any plans to release an 8 ohm version? I know this is a long shot but my power amp wont work with the 4 ohm rating.

    The only alternative is to buy 2 Kones and run in series in a 2x12 cabinet.

    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