Up to now I have been using my trusty Atomic FR actives (I have one wedge and one box) for my KPA's amplification and I have been quite satisfied with this solution.
While I find that playing audio material isn't exactly HiFi though the Atomics they do a great job giving me a 'I have an amplifier on stage' feeling.
What I don't like in the Atomics is the tweeter that tends to squeal in a very unhealthy way when faced with a certain amount of gain, and it's therefore very difficult to get controlled amount of feedback.
Also the Atomics are a bit bulky and heavy.
Now the core story:
I have a Fender Mustang III standing around. Yes, the little decent sounding, 100 W, 269.- Euro modeling amp, equipped with a 1x12” Celestion G12T-100 speaker.
Now I tried to use it as KPA monitor the other day.
Plugged KPA Monitor Out into the loop return of the Mustang.
Cab Off on KPA's Monitor Out.
Lowered the presence and the treble a bit on the KPA's Monitor EQ.
Result: JAW DROPPING.
Really: So shockingly good.
I don't know what CK and the dev team at Kemper have done to the KPA recently, but there's certainly some magic happening when turning the Cab Off in the KPA.
Because the little Mustang still clearly reflects what amp and cab I choose in the KPA.
I hear a Marshall JCM with 4x12" as well as an AC 30 with 2x12" out of my monitor, although it's clearly not FRFR.
And I can finally get controlled feedback much more easily than with the Atomics
THIS IS AWESOME!
Because it opens up a whole lot of possibilities for me.
The footprint of the Mustangs is very small, for example, they're cheap, they're light (16 kg).
The purpose of my post is:
Try the Monitor Out. Try different solutions. Look what Cab Off and Monitor Out can do for you. Be surprised!