Kone & Kabinet experiences

  • I replaced the speakers in a 2 x 12 Laney cab with kones.


    Was initially very impressed with the imprints but what I'm finding now is that there's quite a mix of profiles that suit it & some are better with imprints off.


    For example I have a Diezel VH4 profile that sounds brutal with imprint off & sounds like a blanket been thrown over amp when any speaker imprint is selected. On other hand a Marshall profile that suits imprints.


    Also seems that volume plays a role. That can change the sound markedly & when in a band mix it's a diff game again.


    But a huge step up from Laney speakers.

  • Nice...yes noticed last night some profiles are better with imprints enables yet some sound sweet in FRFR mode. Winner either way really as my ears like what they are hearing.

  • yeah same here. At the end of the day what sounds good sounds good right?


    But overall...I swapped an ENGL Blackmore for Kemper which was a step up in tone & then the Kones which is another step up. Enjoying...


    1. None or little feedback even at high gain massive volume.

    2. Tone that cuts in band mix.

    3. Ability to get fundamentally different tone with push of a button.

    4. 6kg vs 22kg

  • I've been considering a Kone as of late to load in an open back cab as well as one other speaker. I haven't played outside the house in years but I have been invited to dabble a bit in live situations, smaller places where you just turn up a bit to be heard, no running direct into PA.

    After 3 1/2 years of owning a Kemper I still just plug into the effects loop input of a solid state amp here at home, not the best solution but still sounds pretty good but I need to get a better solution. I've tried it through my EV zlx12p speakers but didn't care for that setup. I use the Kemper as a combo amp, haven't done any recording in years, but I enjoy it more than any amp I've owned over the last 30 years.

    I want to improve my setup for live use but I'm wrestling with myself over two options to pursue, keeping in mind what speaker I'm playing through will be what others hear also.

    Options:

    1. Open back cab with a Kone (not sure I'm interested in imprint mode to be honest, I don't tweak rigs much, just find one I like and go). So wondering how well it sounds in the frfr mode to the listener.

    2. Open back cab with an Eminence Legend Em12. I noticed these were being used in the Valvetrain Powertrain Stage 50, Mbritt and HW did a short demo last year on these and gave it a decent review. I'm assuming I might have similar results with a decent class d amp.

    I really just want to get out and play some again, but using a speaker that can let the character of different amp rigs come through would be the fantastic.

    Any input that might help me make a decision between the two would be greatly appreciated, I rarely post on the forum but it has been an invaluable information source which has helped me tremendously.

  • HowardBrown - Hi there! If you only use one amp profile then a cab with a guitar speaker that suits that amp will work great.

    I'm assuming that your Kemper isn't the powered model. In that case (and for your situation) I'd either wait for the powered Kabinet or get a powered cab with a guitar speaker in it that pairs well with the amp profile you use.

  • Finally, thanks for chiming in. I have a non powered Kemper rack. I'm looking to pick up a rack mount power amp to go with it, would love to go stereo later on just for my own enjoyment. The SD Powerstage 700 looks to be a solid choice but I'm trying to gather more info on the Palmer PMACHT402, almost half the price but I've found very little info on it here in the states.

    I like moving around between rigs, a blackface here, an ac there etc... What I'd like to accomplish is a setup that allows the character of different amps to come through. My setup now colors every rig with a similar eq curve (regular guitar speaker), it's not a bad sound but it doesn't allow much distinction between different amp types. I gather from reading threads here on the forum and YouTube demos the Kone does pretty well, but most people discuss the imprints at least from what I've seen more than the Kone in frfr mode. I'm hoping someone has had experience with both speakers and might give their opinion on using either of them in this manner.

  • Hi Howard


    You can't go past the Kones especially if you're looking to get that distinction between different amp profiles. If you throw in a guitar speaker of any sort you're always going to have every rig sound kind of the same.


    I personally think any stereo class D rack mount amp is going to do the job, most people are quoting brands that are well priced and available in their region, I've never heard anyone knock any class D rack amp on here, maybe see what your local pro audio shop sells.


    Honestly if you go this route, the Kemper will feel like a brand new amp all over again, night and day to your current setup


    Edit: Obviously make sure any amp you purchase can handle 4 ohms per side for the kones, not always a given

    Edited 2 times, last by stratdude ().

  • stratdude, thanks for the input. Distinction between amp's from a speaker in a space is what I'm shooting for. It seems the Kone is capable of accomplishing this from your reply as well as comments I've read in other threads, just looking for positive reinforcement of the concept I guess before moving forward. There are some YouTube videos out there and they are somewhat helpful, but they can never take the place of an individual's experience in a live setting, and that's where this forum helps fill in the blanks.

    I've never even considered looking at an amp that wasn't listed in the category of "guitar power amp", I need to look a little further at options available in sound reinforcement, thanks for the suggestion.