Honest impressions/opinions about kone/kemper cab

  • Guys & girls & everything in between ;)


    It's hard to get a real impression from the kone from YT-videos and impressions I read about in the forums are all over the place, but I'm looking for impressions from fellow musician using the KPA in real live situations, not just bedroom scenarios. I'm a long time KPA user, currently have the powered rack version, and the only thing I miss is the stage feel. In some gigs this is important, in some not so much. Before I spend money on a cab or a kone, I would really like to know what to expect, the good and the bad. I use FRFR/in-ear for some gigs, but for rock'n'roll club jobs, a wedge (and certainly in-ear) just does not work. I've tried running a regular cab (the same that's used for my profiles) on stage, but it's not there (there's still a stiff/harsh feel to the sound and response, although I can get it to kinda work eq-wise). My best result so far (albeit not ideal) is to go into the front end of my Deluxe Reverb, all eq on zero, and use that as a room filler on stage.


    So; will the cab/kone be a step closer to the feel/response thing, or will it just be another semi-good solution introducing other shortcomings? What are your honest experiences?

  • A. I've tried running a regular cab (the same that's used for my profiles) on stage, but it's not there (there's still a stiff/harsh feel to the sound and response, although I can get it to kinda work eq-wise).

    B. So; will the cab/kone be a step closer to the feel/response thing, or will it just be another semi-good solution introducing other shortcomings? What are your honest experiences?

    Well... as long as you haven’t worked out A, B won’t be satisfactory for you either!


    Personally I feel there’s nothing missing at all when I plug into a guitar cab.

    So when I use the Kone there’s simply more different speakers for me to choose from.

    Or to put it otherwise: The Kone is no magic bullet which will give you a better experience than a real guitar cab.
    Let’s find out first why playing through a guitar cab is unsatisfactory for you.

  • Well... as long as you haven’t worked out A, B won’t be satisfactory for you either!


    Personally I feel there’s nothing missing at all when I plug into a guitar cab.

    So when I use the Kone there’s simply more different speakers for me to choose from.

    Or to put it otherwise: The Kone is no magic bullet which will give you a better experience than a real guitar cab.
    Let’s find out first why playing through a guitar cab is unsatisfactory for you.

    Thanks for your response, Ingolf, but not sure if I understand it :) The entire rationale for the Kemper Kone with imprints is precisely to remedy the problem with using a regular cab or a frfr solution on stage, isn't it? Or to put it another way: Since A hasn't proved to be a great solution for a lot of users (= not really giving you an amp- like feel on stage (which perhaps is too much to ask), B should be a step closer. What I'm wondering is how gigging guitarists have experienced this a few months in.


    Using a real cab with the Kemper doesn't sound like an amp with a cab, thats why it's not working for me (that is; it's kinda working, but I had hopes for the Kone to bring everything a step closer to that amp in the room feel). There's a certain edge to it that makes it sound a tad off, harsher, with a few artifacts in the attack and response that is unpleasant. I can get the frequencies to work etc, but in direct comparisons with a small tube amp in a live context, it drowns, even though it is louder.


    I'm totally cool with the things as they are, as the advantages far outnumbers the disadvantages, but just curious what the Kemper Kone brings to the table in terms of that amp feel onstage. Perhaps my problem is not with the speaker at all, but would be better off searching for a good tube power amp to power my stage cab...?

  • Do you like the deluxe reverb because it is an open back cabinet, and that gives you the kind of sound that you want? If that is the case, a closed back Kabinet isn’t going to give you an open back sound. But, if you want the variety that Kone can provide, you could buy just the speaker,And put it into an open back cabinet.

    It's not that it's open back, it's more that it's punchier and livelier as a power amp solution, I guess, despite the fact that I run the Kemper into the front.

  • I run a power rack live only ( no real studio work) and over time I've moved from 4 x12 to FRFR and now to Kabinet.


    Personally, I prefer Kabinet to FRFR to Cab. Guitar cab to me juts adds so much colour and muddiness that all profiles sound similar. BUT it depends on how you use it ( direct profiles etc).


    I like FRFR because I get the true sound that is coming out of the PA ( or very close).


    I bought the Kabinet because,...well...why not. So far I think it has a realism edge over the FRFR.


    The problem here is that its all subjective. I don't feel I'm missing much with a good FRFR.


    Personally, if you have to bring a valve amp into the equation, sort of defeats the point of the KPA in my opinion.


    I honestly think you can get great sounds out of all the set ups but you have to invest time in each, so I would pick one and go with that.

  • I don't own a Kone but I'm contemplating it seriously. I run through the PA and also use a cabinet on stage with a SS power amp for monitoring. I run the monitor outs with the Cabinet and it actually feels really good. So for me a Kone would be awesome if I really want to switch cab pairings with different amps. Again, I don't have any experience with it though.