Powered Kemper, but still not enough "power", needing an extra power amp?

  • Hi all,


    I love my Powered Kemper Amp and I am still finding new features and sounds.


    But I need more volume on stage.

    Maybe the profiles could be more powerful, but I think I am missing the boost power of my tube amps in the past.


    What should I do ?
    Buying a "neutral sounding" power amp or what ?

    Just curious to your thoughts.



    Greetz,

  • Did you ever measure the loudness on stage (simple handy app will do the job)
    What Cabinet do you use with you Power Kemper? What Ohm is it?
    E.g. if you work with a 16Ohm Cabinet u will get only 25% Power.
    Also if you have multiple speaker in the Cab doublecheck the right polarity (phase cancelation?)

    The Kemper Poweramp is optimized for 4 Ohm,
    so best result is 4 Kemper Kone 2 in Series and this in parallel so a result of 4 Ohm.
    I have a 2 Kone Cab and it is verrrrrry loud, I measured about 135dB/a at a distance of 1.5 meters.

    Youn can't enter the room without ear protection.

    Be the force with you ;)

  • What kind of cab are you plugging into on stage and what Ohmage is it rated at??


    I notice when using my Seymour Duncan Powerstage 200, that if I use a 16ohm cab, the volume is a lot quieter on stage than when I use a 4ohm cab.

  • If you're using a powered head or rack - that's 600 hundred watts at 8ohms and 300 at 16. If it's 4ohm....that's a potential 1200. For guitar - that's a LOT of available power.


    I've got a 200 watt IcePower module in the back of my (formerly) unpowered Toaster. This is the same amp used in the Powerstage 200. Through a single Kone I have no trouble hearing myself over a loud drummer/bassist. The amp isn't anywhere near it's peak.


    I'd say that if volume is the problem - the KPA is not the limiting factor.

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

  • Seriously. Way back in the stone age I played with a little 60 watt combo amp with the extension plugged into a 4x12 and it did its job against a drummer with a 16 piece kit. No, it wasn't "good", but it was certainly sufficient. If the powered KPA isn't loud enough there's a reason other than not enough power.

    Just a guy who plays a little bit of guitar.

  • Everyone has a different definition of loudness and power. Some players can get away with a handful of watts and a 1x12. Others like myself who play in heavier bands with multiple guitarists, loud drummers, and the need for tight bottom end would get eaten for lunch with anything less than a 2x12 and lots of headroom. ?

  • If you're using a powered head or rack - that's 600 hundred watts at 8ohms and 300 at 16. If it's 4ohm....that's a potential 1200. For guitar - that's a LOT of available power.


    I've got a 200 watt IcePower module in the back of my (formerly) unpowered Toaster. This is the same amp used in the Powerstage 200. Through a single Kone I have no trouble hearing myself over a loud drummer/bassist. The amp isn't anywhere near it's peak.


    I'd say that if volume is the problem - the KPA is not the limiting factor.

    I thought 4 ohm = 200watts, 8 ohm = 400 watts and 16 ohm = 600 watts. The 4 ohm kabinet is rated for 200 watts. Can 4 ohm do 1200 watts?

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.

  • I thought 4 ohm = 200watts, 8 ohm = 400 watts and 16 ohm = 600 watts. The 4 ohm kabinet is rated for 200 watts. Can 4 ohm do 1200 watts?

    Whenever you cut the ohm load in half you effectively double the output wattage of the amp driving it. Speakers/cabinets don't produce any kind of wattage so the question is are they able to take X amount of power. If the KPA is rated at 600 watts of max power at 8 ohms (just an example, I don't know what it is), it will make a maximum of 1200 at 4 ohms. Max power is a deceptive measurement as the amp may only be able to make that many watts for a moment, so the more important measurement becomes the RMS rating, or the amount of power it can take, effectively, indefinitely. Sound reproduction equipment manufacturers have overrated their numbers for decades because there is no standard. But the science is true regardless. If you have an amp rated for 4 ohms and you're putting 16 in front of it you're getting one fourth of it's rated power.

    Just a guy who plays a little bit of guitar.

  • If you're using a powered head or rack - that's 600 hundred watts at 8ohms and 300 at 16. If it's 4ohm....that's a potential 1200. ....

    Just to clarify .... as written in the Main Manual, at 4 ohm the power is electronically limited to 600 Watt.

  • Thank you guys, that makes sense.


    Actually the box has just 1 x 12" speaker: Celestion G12 70 Watt

    I don't know how much Ohm this one has.


    I should say 8 Ohm, but I also see these for sale listing 16 Ohm.

  • When i run my Powerrack into my Kabinet with power boost not even on full, I cannot get above 50 watts without physical pain. It will easily keep up with a Marshall 100w head..


    So I struggle to believe that the built in amp is not sufficient for anyone, regardless of ohmage/wattage variables.


    Therefore, there is something wrong here.


    I assume you've checked your power boost setting and its on maximum.

  • I am afraid my speaker is 16 Ohm, which might be the reason.
    But I can't find how much Ohm exactly

    Power boost setting checked and as far as I can see it's Max.


    Thanks for your reply !

  • The impedance on a Celestion driver is usually printed somewhere on the back - could be near the connection tabs, might even be printed on the back of the cone. The simple thing is to measure the DC resistance of the speaker with a multi-meter. If it is nominally 16 Ohm, you should get a reading a bit lower than that in the 13 Ohm range. If it is 8 Ohm then the reading will be half that.


    Multimeters are pretty inexpensive and useful - I use an old Fluke one all the time to check battery voltage levels amongst other things. If something in your signal chain is broken/not working and has gone "open circuit" (eg a patch lead or guitar lead) you can locate the problem straight away.