Recommend me a powered FRFR for home/bedroom use

    Quote from Ingolf


    Yeah, apart from personal preferences (I personally think the M III is an awesome amp and incredible value for money), when you plug into the return you bypass the whole modeling circuit and get to a great sounding solid state power amp.


    Also I have found the Celestion G12T-100 better sounding than the seventy 80 (which I think is a little dull). The G12T doesn't sound dark.


    The Seventy80 does sound very bare bones, no character of its own.


    But when A/Bing it against my Dynaudio BM5As (I was always a nut about the idea of taking my studio tone on stage from way back when), it is almost apples to apples; which is why I highly recommend the Tech 21 for use with modellers. What you put into it is what you get out of it.


    Of course, thinking about it, perhaps it is a bit dull! Guitar speakers like the Celestion I had in my old Marshall (still in the family, with my brother :P) give the sound more bite and have an edgy/sparkly quality, especially when used with distortion.


    One workaround to the open back design of the Power Engine is the EQ controls, something you would miss when going in through the FX return of the Mustang. These can be used to tune the Tech 21 to be used in a variety of environments. I think the open back design gives a more mid character to the amp, whereas a closed cabinet has more pronounced bass frequencies. This makes it harder to go muddy, but could also confuse you thoroughly :cursing:


    I really wish I could A/B with a Mustang to figure out whether I should upgrade. Then again, I think my GAS should remain limited to the Kemper for the time being :whistling:

    Quote from nightlight

    I really wish I could A/B with a Mustang to figure out whether I should upgrade. Then again, I think my GAS should remain limited to the Kemper for the time being :whistling:


    Nothing wrong with that. :)
    BTW I was just told by another user that in Version 2 of the Mustang III Fender may have altered the loop in a way that it doesn't seem to be after the Fender modeling and before the power amp any more. That means that the KPA signal would run through some modeling circuit which would render this solution completely useless.
    I cannot verify this myself ATM but that would be a pity.

    I can either recommend the Tech 21 power engine, but updated with a FRFR speaker like the Beyma, or just go for a hifi-speaker set. I have a pair of Bowers & Wilkens MM-1 and I love the sound from the Kemper with it, and it's load enough to use at home!

    Quote from Ingolf


    BTW I was just told by another user that in Version 2 of the Mustang III Fender may have altered the loop in a way that it doesn't seem to be after the Fender modeling and before the power amp any more. That means that the KPA signal would run through some modeling circuit which would render this solution completely useless.
    I cannot verify this myself ATM but that would be a pity.


    That sounds super-weird. But what I think they would have done is incorporate the FX loop within the digital signal chain of the amplifier, instead of after it. Some kind of series/parallel tweak.


    Bechti: Wouldn't a hi-fi speaker set defeat the purpose of using a modeller? Then again, I often think all this FRFR talk is sometimes overdone. What sounds good, sounds good. End of story.

    Thanks for the offer, but I already ordered the Tech 21.


    It arrived today. It's great. Cab sims stays on as it's fairly flat, which I think is great as the excellent cabs sound great through it.


    Love it.

    I just picked up a Kustom PA50 for a mere $70 (Guitar Center "Flash Deal") and I have to say I'm amazed at how well it pairs with the KPA. It's a tiny unit, only suited to low-volume playing as you describe, but it's super-cheap, really compact, and it looks very cool under the Kemper, more like another head than a cabinet. I monitor through Yamaha HS80m's at my desk, and an EV-ELX 112p when I need power, but at practice volumes I actually think this budget Kustom sounds better than the EV.


    (Liked it so much - especially at that price - I order two more to keep in other rooms.)

    Quote from horribleman

    Thanks for the offer, but I already ordered the Tech 21.


    It arrived today. It's great. Cab sims stays on as it's fairly flat, which I think is great as the excellent cabs sound great through it.


    Love it.


    Glad to hear you like it, horribleman! Do post a detailed review of your experience with the Kemper + Tech 21 combo, as I'm interested in pairing my Power Engine with the KPA when I get one.