Think I need some encouragement to take the plunge...

    I am thinking of buying a Kemper Power Head as a XMas gift for myself this year... However, since I´ve never played any digital high end stuff (except Amplitube and Bias), I am really relunctant into spending that amount of money in a Kemper (which is extremely expensive here in Brazil). I am not very interested into buying a FRFR (very expensive) and would use it with my Orange PPC212 cab, rated at 120 watts. Would that be OK? Should I go the non-power route and use the FX return of tube amps? Lots of people using Power Heads with traditional cabs? They actually sound amazing? So many doubts and affraid of spending a huge amount of money... So I came here, think I need some convincement. LOL. Cheers

    I'd go with the powered if you are using a traditional guitar cabinet. You could use the effects return of a tube amp, but that will color your sounds some, plus you're still dealing with tubes for no added benefit, and have one extra piece of equipment to lug around. Plus, you could get a passive PA cabinet at some point for less than a powered FRFR. And then the powered KPA would sit safety on top of your orange cabinet if you go that route, as opposed to on top of your tube amp which is on top of your cabinet. Plus you could sell your tube amp to offset the additional cost of he powered head. Of course, if you go with the powered head, you don't need to use the built in power. So it just gives you more options.

    While you want to save money, if you're making such a huge purchase, pay a little more and have no regret, especially since it's such a huge investment with all the import taxes you pay. (I visited Porto Velho, Brazil a couple times and couldn't believe how expensive buying US made music equipment was) You might break even taking a trip to the US and buying it here with out the taxes and then flying back home!

    Thanks guys. I decided to do some additional research on the powered + traditional cab thing. There are just too many mixed opinions, and it seems that this is the only part of the Kemper experience with such mixed reviews. As raised by Grooguit, this stuff in Brazil are extremely expensive.


    I have a similar thread going in another forum, and a I came up with a doubt, sorry if this is a dumb question... I might have found a used non powered Toaster for sale... WIth the addition of a DXR 10, the total cost is similar to the one of a new power head. Using the DXR 10, is it still need to go FOH? Or for small venues only the DXR is sufficient for both personal monitoring and the sound going to the audience? Sorry if this is dumb though...

    If you are going to pay a lot either way, I'd suggest you get the powered head for more options down the road.
    This is probably the last amp you'll ever need to buy, after all ;)


    Go get yourself one you won't regret it. Raise your expectations as much as you want and you will STILL be blown away when you plug in.
    Just be sure to get a good set of profiles.

    For what it"s worth, I bought my power rack a couple of weeks ago. So far I have done a small bar gig with just my cab (an EVM 12L) and two larger ones with full pa and monitoring. I have also read varied reports but my own experience is stellar. The amp sounds are the same at all volumes, the KPA doesn't heat up and change tone during the show, some of the profiles are out of this,world. The PA guys at the bigger gigs were blown away by the KPA tone and one commented that he was off to research one for himself. Add to this a friendly, well read and supportive forum and you can't go wrong.

    A brace of Suhrs, a Charvel, a toaster, an Apollo twin, a Mac, and a DXR10

    Hi,


    the KPA kills G.A.S. on many sides. Beside the sound it's the simplicity of just one cable for powering all amps & fx at a time + there's great recording options.
    One thing to bare in mind though: The KPA poweramp is mono. If one day you want to enjoy the stereo image of the post fx via two cabs, you have to go for an external stereo poweramp or buy two frfrs anyway. With that in mind the upcharge is not quite small if you're on a budget. To me this made the decision to go with the non-powered version.


    Anyway, you wonrt regret the purchase :)

    Gear: Strats & KPA. Plug Ins: Cubase, NI, iZotope, Slate, XLN, Spectrasonics.
    Music: Song from my former band: vimeo.com/10419626[/media][/media][/media] Something new on the way...

    Thanks guys, I bought the Power Head, got to spend the weekend messing around with the factory profiles, and played it today at rehearsal. So far, loving it! Will post my thoughts about playing at loud volumes with the band in the other thread. Cheers!

    Congrats !!!


    Personally I found most of the factory profiles on the mediocre side. The Kemper shines when you find a commercial profiler that mics amps/cabs the way you like them.
    Also some profilers' profiles work better in the mix, some better live. I would suggest you try the freebies from several sellers to see which seller suits you the most.
    From what I've seen most people tend to stick to 2-3 sellers that they like.


    Gluck !!

    Quote from Havohej

    I found most of the factory profiles on the mediocre side. The Kemper shines when you find a commercial profiler that mics amps/cabs the way you like them.


    OTOH, I tried several commercial profiles which I did not like at all, and would consider valid the "The Kemper shines when you find a free profiler that mics amps/cabs the way you like them" statement as well :)