New PowerRack arrived yesterday

So I took the opportunity to use the upgrade option for those of us that bought a KPA early, and yesterday I got my PowerRack. I was really curious as to how the internal power amp would compare both in sound and power/headroom with my beloved Matrix GT1000FX -- having everything in a 3U sized unit instead of a separate head and rack mounted amp would really make things simpler.

So I decided to test it on yesterday's gig, and installed my 3-4 profiles, set up the scenes as I have them on my old KPA, hooked up the UnoFCB and was ready to roll within an hour.

I really have to say that the internal B&O amp was a pleasant surprise. I went from the KPA to my 2x12 Scumbacks without speaker sim, simultaneously sending a stereo signal to the FOH with speaker sims on, using a profile based on the same cabinet that I use onstage. As with the Matrix, the sound was punchy, no nasty frequencies or dull sounds at all, just pure power. And the freaking rig doesn't make noise at all (not that it matters live)! Also, the unit does not weigh anything. How is this even possible?

Quote from mattlocked

Exciting times for the gigging musician. Convenience at its peak!!!

Absolutely. For a lot of us it means a lot to be able to carry less items & rig up and down quickly (lots of gigs around town, fly gigs etc). This setup not only rigs quickly; it weighs practically nothing (except the speakers whenever I want to carry them) and does not compromise the sound. Rather the opposite -- My DSL and HBE never sounded better than through my KPA

You're welcome, and sorry about the brief and overly enthusiastic review, perhaps at the expense of information. I had to let out some steam I`ll be back with more impressions after the coming days` gigs. Also, I have a couple of nice Marshall and Friedman profiles that I`ll post in the rig exchange soon.

Quote from Silence2-38554

If you could please elaborate on any noticeable differences between these two amplification sources, that would be great. I just got my KP rack, and an thinking of exchanging it for a power head while I'm still within the return window. The original plan was to pair the rack with a GT1000FX, but I'm now realizing the portability advantages of the lunchbox & how nice it would be to just have the power section built in & be done with it. From what I've gathered online, the Kemper power module can sound more natural for clean & dirty tones, but the Matrix wins hands down for Hi-Gain stuff, which is mostly what I play. How would you compare the two volume/tone wise?

I would love to plug back and forth between the Matrix and the Kemper's internal power amp to compare, but the coming weeks are too busy for that. So memory will have to do

Firstly, the Matrix is powerful, 1000 watts bridged in 8 ohms, and my initial fear was that the Kemper's internal 600W amp would be too weak for a couple of my rock'n'roll gigs. I really hate not having headroom when using a power amp with the Kemper. I'm glad to strike this from my fear list; the Kemper's power amp drove my 2x12 8 ohms Scumback cabinet nicely -- I stopped turning up long before I reached the ceiling.

Secondly, when it comes to sound. Without directly comparing, and at the volume levels I play at, I think they sound somewhat similar. Anyway, I did not notice any big difference driving my 212 cab. Actually, I noticed more of a difference between the GT800FX and the GT1000FX than between the latter and the Kemper. Don't take this to be the truth, though, this is just from my memory and most likely coloured by the fact that I liked the Kemper's power amp from the first tone i played through it. Of tonal differences I think I can recall is a slight boost somewhere in the mids on the Matrix -- I remember that I kept thinking when plugging into the PowerRack the first time that the Kemper was more neutral eq wise than the Matrix. Again, these are impressions purely from memory. Both amps sound really great, and my main point is that the Kemper's internal amp is not inferior. Which says a lot, as the Matrix has come to be sort of a benchmark amp for modelers.

A bonus: The internal power amp doesn't make a sound whereas the Matrix 1U is slightly noisy if you're gonna use it in quiet studio settings.

Now, I just regret that I didn't buy a toaster instead of the rack, as I love the form factor and the additional leds. (I bought the rack version in case I didn't like the power amp and was stuck with the 1U Matrix ;))

Quote from Silence2-38554

If you could please elaborate on any noticeable differences between these two amplification sources, that would be great. I just got my KP rack, and an thinking of exchanging it for a power head while I'm still within the return window. The original plan was to pair the rack with a GT1000FX, but I'm now realizing the portability advantages of the lunchbox & how nice it would be to just have the power section built in & be done with it. From what I've gathered online, the Kemper power module can sound more natural for clean & dirty tones, but the Matrix wins hands down for Hi-Gain stuff, which is mostly what I play. How would you compare the two volume/tone wise?

When I searched fo info about the differences/similarities between the Matrix and the B&O inside the KPA, I did not find anything to suggest that the Matrix wins for high gain stuff -- If you can produce some links, I'd be interested too I'm not into the scooped high gain stuff, when I play high gain it's more on the higher gain side of hard rock than it is scooped metal or recto-stuff. Think a fairly cranked Friedman HBE, in addition to clean to crunch sounds in the Plexi landscape. For these sounds, I haven't found any disadvantages in either of the power amps. I love the internal amp for what I use it for, although it must be said that I've only had it for half a week -- three live gigs and one rehearsal.