Blue Amp "Camper" Test drive.

Hi folks,

Thanks to the courtesy of Gitarrenschlumpf and Tilman (vielen dank!) I've been given the chance to test drive a prototype of the "Camper" amplifier.
Is a 180W ClassD amplifier with a single 12" speaker (400W peak!!!) with flat response (you can find the technical data and the frequency response curve in the other thread). The box (closed back) remembers a Thiele cab (standing on the side) but is a lot less deep. It is extremely well built, solid but still light (15 kg on the scale). The back panel provides Powercon in/out connections (to power the KPA as well), audio in and a power switch.

Here a couple of pics:

[Blocked Image: http://sphotos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/527504_352393174853287_363888167_n.jpg] 
[Blocked Image: http://sphotos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/578960_352393111519960_2088931566_n.jpg]

[Blocked Image: http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/426319_352393048186633_113044798_n.jpg]

[Blocked Image: http://sphotos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/400283_352392984853306_1860655259_n.jpg]

I've connected this little boy to the Monitor out, cab on, let the monitor out level at -17 db (my normal setting with the RCF monitor) and hit a chord.......holy sh..t, this stuff is LOUD, I mean really loud! (BTW, leave it on the floor, is not a PA box). I had to compensate a little the monitor out EQ (Presence +2, Bass +1.5) to get the sound I'm used to and then I was ready to rock. At -22db I had the volume pressure of a small tube combo (15-20W) with the volume at 6-7. The sound is tight, it feels compact, precise and at this volume you start feeling the "thump" in the guts. Lot of amp feel from this box, the RCF (I've made an A/B the following day) is surprisingly not that much louder (unless you're looking to permanently damage your earing and hit over 120db) but is a lot more HiFi. The Camper is somewhat warmer, rounder. The bass are tight, absolutely not boomy, the middles sings and the highs are not shrill. After 10 min you think you're playing a combo, not a powered speaker.

Day 2: I take the Camper to rehearsal to compare it with the RCF and to see how it beheave with a loud band (this is the rock-fusion one, where I'm the fusion part and my buddy is the rock one, 7 people all together). The other guitar player uses a rack system with a Carvin Legacy in to a Marsha 1960, though at rehearsal we don't play so loud as on stage. With the volume at -12 db I had no problem keeping up with the others and having a really good sound, TBH I preferred it to the RCF. Again the feeling was to have a combo (though more around 40-50W at this volume level, some serious sound pressure!).

Today Marco (Gitarrenschlumpf) told me that I can turn it louder: if the Kemper doesn't clip at 0db neither do the Camper....ok , let's try it........ ....don't do that at home! I had spare screws and parts shattering in the shelfs, the glass panel in the middle of the door was trying to jump out and the cat of the neighbours has not yet come back......nevertheless was not clipping, distorting or whatsoever. Had a similar experience once that I've turned the master volume of a Mark IV combo well over 8.....

I'm overall very impressed with this little, big box I would definitely love to take it on stage.

Just to be clear: it is not a PA speaker, is a box made for digital guitar gear....and that's very good, IMHO.

I do not play downtuned guitars or 7-8 strings so I have no idea whether it would work in that situation, but for everything else I would say thumb up.

With the acoustic guitar (Ovation) was ok but I've still preferred my RCF or the PA....but it would be the same with a real amp.

A small note on the customer service: the amp was here the day after I've asked if they were interested in a third opinion....at 754km of distance...

Quote from matcaster

Hu ! Quite interesting !
Do you have an idea of when the amp will be available ?

For what I've been told is question of some week.

Quote from viabcroce

Thanks for sharing your impressions!
Please, let me ask some questions to better focus the subject - and your test

• What guitar(s) did you use with the combo?
  

  
  

• What about directivity? Does it react more like a guitar cab under this respect, or rather like a PA cab?
  

  
  

• I remember you describing the RCF as loud, and not advising it for very low volume playing. How does this machine behaves at very low volumes? IOW, can it be a solution for home playing as well, or you believe it fully expresses itself at rehearsal level as a minimum?

Thanks for your time

Display More

Hi Gianfranco,
I've been using my Strat (with DiMarzio Protrack/Fasttrack) and the Heritage H140
Directivity is more like a PA, you don't have much beaming (though have not taken it on stage yet, at rehearsal we focus on new stuff and we don't run much around)
As said is loud, it still sounds good at an acceptable level, but if you want to go down at TV volume or less I still suggest studio monitors. This is (IMHO) a pro box for rehearsal/stage

Marco is more or less your neighbour, it shouldn't be difficult

BTW, the sound is a lot more compact than the Atomic, definitely a LOT more headroom and the highs-hi mids sounds more amp-like, no shrills (because there is no tweeter, I assume)

"Custom" order just placed. 2x12", 2x180w Stereo in Kemper green with white frontpanel. Extra: volume pot and separate mono input.
Thanks again to Marco for the great assistance in the brainstorming!

Mine is almost finish.....

[Blocked Image: http://sphotos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/423156_533306233364743_1458588014_n.jpg]