Kemper kone vs "real" speakers: my experience

    Quote from Wheresthedug

    this dominant frequency is almost certainly the cabinet rather than the speaker. If you put thrKone in the Fender Cabinet I would expect to see the same 160hz response. Likewise, if you put the Fender speaker in the Kemper Kabinet it would probably have a dominant frequency around 224hz.


    With regards to the speaker imprints all sounding very similar; this seems strange. In my experience they all sound noticeably different

    you can only use imprints with the Monitor Out. The imprints are never sent to any of the other outputs. This would explain why the "rendering" is different and flatter - you aren't actually hearing the imprint.

    Thank you for the reply.

    I have since updated from 8.0.2 to 8.2 - this has changed some settings on Kone (added PWR display in Kone view amongst other). Had to load some presets again. But since, i tested again and have better tones and hear a difference when changing imprints . Assume some of my settings must have been off. So will have to test more (and play more !!)

    Quote from JVDW

    welcome to the Kemper Kab club !


    Have non-powered Toaster since 2013 but do not play often - pure hobby.

    Have Powered Yamaha HS8 connected to Main Out. 2 weeks ago I received Kemper Powered Kabinet to achieve this "amp in room" sound - much more 'percussive' - Monitor never gave that Palm Mute Percussion effect i get with Amp.

    you have the monitors connected directly to the main output? if so why? because i did that mistake and the kemper sounded way worse than it should, you should connect them to the monitor out and direct out and set to stereo.

    I am curious. If you wanted to play a nice studio profile (powered kemper > non powered kab) with a Kone what would choose within settings? We want to hear the cab capture of the profile in all its glory. Would you stay in imprint mode and choose full-range mode? That is what I have been doing and it works out nicely. As stated curious of your thoughts. Cheers...

    Quote from nunofrg

    you have the monitors connected directly to the main output? if so why? because i did that mistake and the kemper sounded way worse than it should, you should connect them to the monitor out and direct out and set to stereo.

    Oh ? was not aware. This is a home setup. Don't have a band (would like to) so no need so far to have "gig setup" versus Home setup compatibility.

    I have my Monitor speakers to Main Out, and Kemper Powered Kone to Monitor Out Mono - which is iI think how they recommend it.

    Should I change anything ?

    Quote from JVDW

    Oh ? was not aware. This is a home setup. Don't have a band (would like to) so no need so far to have "gig setup" versus Home setup compatibility.

    I have my Monitor speakers to Main Out, and Kemper Powered Kone to Monitor Out Mono - which is iI think how they recommend it.

    Should I change anything ?

    That set up is correct.


    the monitors will get the full Studio Profile but will never get the Kone Imprints. The Monitor Out with Monitor Cab Off ticked and Kone on will get the imprints.

    Quote from Wheresthedug

    That set up is correct.


    the monitors will get the full Studio Profile but will never get the Kone Imprints. The Monitor Out with Monitor Cab Off ticked and Kone on will get the imprints.

    now im not understanding myself.

    if you connect the monitors (2 monitors) direct to the kemper with no kone neither no interface, where should you connect?


    the image from the manual tells this: [Blocked Image: https://i.ibb.co/GPSHkvP/2-powered-speakers.jpg]



    unless you use the interface and then you connect to the main outs, what am i getting wrong?

    If you are using powered monitors you can connect directly to the main outputs without any interface. Or you can send the Main outs to a power amp which drives the speakers. An interface is only needed when recording audio on a computer.

    Quote from Wheresthedug

    If you are using powered monitors you can connect directly to the main outputs without any interface. Or you can send the Main outs to a power amp which drives the speakers. An interface is only needed when recording audio on a computer.

    but thats not what the manual says to do. i dont know anything, im getting a kemper soon and i dont have experience like you do, but the manual clearly says its through monitor out and direct out and theres nowhere written it should be through the main outputs, as shown in the picture (which came from another post here in the forum by another fellow kemper user).

    in 2015 i tried a kemper and did monitors direct to main outs and i hated so much the tone or thought it wasnt convincing to the point i returned the kemper. i think this isnt a very debated question and its very easily confused of how it should be.

    The only thing that you meed to worry about is whether you want to use imprints with a Kemper Kabinet or another cabinet loaded with Kemper Kone speakers. If you want these to work you meed to connect to the Monitor Output (or speaker output on a powered version) as these are the only outputs capable of running imprints. All outputs can run the other normal options such as Master Stereo or Mono, Stack, Mod etc. The Monitor output can also run these options if you want but it has the ability to also run imprints and has Monitor Cab Off option for running a traditional guitar cabinet. If you are gigging or recording and want to have a different sound going to FOH/Interface than you have onstage for your own personal monitor then you would connect FOH to Main Outs and onstage to Monitor Out. If you are just playing at home it doesn’t really matter which output you connect to.

    The picture from our manual is not contradicting.

    The „monitors“ are the „one or two active speakers“.

    The situation is a stage or rehearsal room situation, where you would connect your „personal monitor speakers“ to the Monitor Output, while you feed the Main Outputs to the front-of-house (FOH) mixing desk.


    However, the word „monitor“ can be interpreted differently, as monitors of your home studio have the same name.

    The (home) studio setup picture is in the Manual chapter „Basic Setups“ at roughly page 64.


    Tell us more about your home studio, so we can prevent a bad experience again, as you had back in 2015.

    It is probable that you had put too much level into your audio interface.

    Just remember, the Kemper gives you a mic'd sound for your tone. It's the sound you hear in all recordings and tube amps to FOH. However, I have tweaked profiles that sound very much like the real amp+cab using a Kemper Kabinet. I am close to reproducing amp+cab sound even going through my studio monitors using a 12" sub with a crossover at 80Hz.


    I had a friend stop by my home studio during practice. I had my monitors cranked pretty loud. When he walked in he asked me what amp I was using. I told him I was using "those" big black desktop speakers. His mouth hit the floor. Non-musicians don't know what a studio monitor is. ;) He was pretty impressed nonetheless.


    Kemper will usually give you much more out of it than what you put into it. That's been my experience.

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.

    Like 2
    Quote from ckemper

    Please confirm that you run the Kones from either the Monitor Outputs (only!) of your Profiler and an external power amp, or directly from a build in power amp.


    The Kemper Kone Mode is only happening on the Monitor Output (or the build in power amp). On any other there is no support for the Kone/Kabinet. As a result, the Kones will sound muffled an suboptimal.


    I assume that those who experience a subpar tone, do not connect it the right way.

    Quote from steelguitar

    So what happens if you are wanting to run a dual 12 inch guitar cabinets?

    If you have the stage, it has stereo monitor output. On the others, you activate Monitor Stereo and use the monitor output and direct output as L&R. Of course, you need a stereo power amp to connect to as well.