Dating used Kemper equipment.

  • I am looking at an ad for a used Kemper unpowered Rack w/Remote. The first question I have is how to determine the age of this unit. Any ideas?

    "Faith don't need no second opinion"

  • Not sure as there haven't been any clear outward physical changes since its inception. Ask the seller?


    Side note: I read this as "Dating using Kemper Equipment" and came for some romance tips but alas....

  • The seller bought it used and doesn't know. I was hoping for a link to a Kemper page with serial numbers or something similar . As far as the "Dating" ... I'm pretty much married to my Kemper Stage ever since I bought it 5 months ago.


    An ad came up yesterday for a unpowered Rack unit with remote for $1800. I don't really want to pay that much if the unit is over 10 years old.

    "Faith don't need no second opinion"

  • Someone wrote in a thread somewhere that you can actually contact CS with the serial number and they can tell you when it was made. But I mean, it could still technically stay unused on a shelf for years before being sold, so it doesn't tell you how long it's actually been in use for. But yeah, ask the seller to fill out their contact form.

  • Has there been any changes to the hardware over the years that would make this even valid? If the hardware hasn't changed, it shouldn't really matter. The old ones will perform exactly as the new ones do. I know the Stage has newer hardware than the other models and I also know there were two versions of it, older and newer. I think there are some differences in the two versions of the stage so it is possible that there have been some hardware changes in the other models.

  • From a certain point in time the classical non-Stage Profiler models were also able to work as "Slave" in SPDIF setting, not only as "Master". Think that is pretty close to when the Stage was introduced which also brought this as an improvement.

  • I found this on the Kemper FAQS page ...


    https://www.kemper-amps.com/faqs#a-dyk-1-80


    "There are nearly no relevant hardware differences between early PROFILER™ Head and Rack units compared to those built recently. Even the first units can be updated to the latest operating system version including all features.


    There is just one exception: Units built before 2019 have to be master of the S/PDIF clock. Head and Rack models manufactured since 2019 can also be switched to act as S/PDIF clock slave - like all PROFILER Stage™ units."



    The article says nothing about how to tell if the unit was built before 2019. but according to pg. 111 of the manual ...


    " ... Older units of PROFILER Head, PowerHead, Rack, and Power Rack need to be master of the clock. More recent units, including PROFILER Stage, will display an option labeled “Auto/Internal” on this page, and can also be used as slave if you prefer."


    So, I conclude that if the “Auto/Internal” option is there, the unit was not built before 2019.

    "Faith don't need no second opinion"

  • Things do wear out over time and some things just degrade more or less due to the environment they're in.

    I think you're right to be filtering out very old units or at least demanding a price that reflects the depreciation of the unit.

  • Things do wear out over time and some things just degrade more or less due to the environment they're in.

    I think you're right to be filtering out very old units or at least demanding a price that reflects the depreciation of the unit.

    On the other hand…..I’ve got more than one electronic device that’s 40+ years old that were treated with average respect (read: not much) that still work flawlessly.


    I’d still look to pay less for older units, but not expect a large drop. A toaster from 2012 will run exactly like one built yesterday.

    Which is just bonkers.

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

  • I m not sure, but Kemper must have a system to codify serial numbers.

    So I guess You can Ask directly to them sending an e mail providing the Serial Number of the unit You re going to buy.

    (In case the seller can not show You the date or other details of purchase the item.)

  • I was hoping someone from Kemper would answer my question. Either they have a way to tell or they don't....

    They will respond to a direct question. Getting a reply here is hit or miss. They don’t monitor it constantly.

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