I don't think it's the monitor output. I think it's the input of the Yamaha.
I use the monitor out to my CLR and have no issues.
This is interesting. I have 2 CLR's and two DXR 10's. The DXR 10 has some hiss. On both my units this is negligible though.
I have heard of others users who found the hiss annoying.
So I still don't know what to make out of it.
BTW I always use the Kemper monitor out and it is NOT noisy.
This is interesting. I have 2 CLR's and two DXR 10's. The DXR 10 has some hiss. On both my units this is negligible though.
I have heard of others users who found the hiss annoying.
So I still don't know what to make out of it.
BTW I always use the Kemper monitor out and it is NOT noisy.
I'll try making a video of this when I get home. I tried really quick last night, but on the video playback, it was hard to tell the difference because I was just using an iPhone. I don't know if the iPhone isn't able to pick up certain things as well. But the volume of the hiss was considerably louder with the monitor output. Granted, I'm playing at a loud volume, so I do expect there to be some hiss. But again, the XLR cable eliminated nearly all of it, both on the DXR15 and when I tried it on the DXR10.
Here's a video I did last night. In this video, the hiss doesn't seem loud, because there is no reference point for volume. I should have spoken during the videos so you could get a baseline as to how loud the hiss was. So while the hiss won't seem loud, trust me, it's at a volume that doesn't seem normal to me. But as you can hear, it's certainly not a grounding issue, just hiss. The video was done on an iPhone and then YouTube compressed it even further, so you'll need to turn your volume up a lot. But you'll hear a considerable jump in volume from the hiss when it's hooked up using the monitor out as opposed to the main out of the Kemper. It's a lot louder in person. If you watch the video back to back a couple of times, it becomes more noticable.
I guess worst case scenario I could do that, or use the separate mixer as you mentioned. But it's certainly not convenient to have to reach behind the monitor and feel around for the knob I'm hunting for mid-performances to adjust volume. But it's a little disappointing to need to have to buy extra gear to get the Kemper to do something it's supposed to do on it's own to begin with.
I see that this issue has come up quite a bit, so I don't necessarily think it's my unit being defective so much as it is a common issue with the Kemper. Maybe there are 1/4" to XLR cords that I could try. I'd really like to be able to keep the volume controls of the mains and monitors separate and accessible on the Kemper itself.
If the issue is balanced vs. unbalanced, this won't help you (unless the fault lies with the line in of the DXR).
And I'm guessing that is unlikely since the issue was the same with both the DXR10 and DXR15. Looks like the Kemper may be getting returned. So frustrating.
Before you do that, see my post in the other hiss thread.[Blocked Image: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61NhQIPCoTL._SL1400_.jpg]
Is that the same as this? I tried this, and it did eliminate the hiss, but it also reduced the volume by a TON.
Is that the same as this? I tried this, and it did eliminate the hiss, but it also reduced the volume by a TON.
They look similar....I'm not sure if there's a quality difference between the two. I used to have some made by Shure.- they were excellent.
BTW, how long is the cable you are using currently? Long HiZ cables act like antennas for noise.
Was the volume too low to be serviceable?
And I'm guessing that is unlikely since the issue was the same with both the DXR10 and DXR15. Looks like the Kemper may be getting returned. So frustrating.
I imagine they use the exact same electronics/connectivity, so if it is an issue with the DXR 10 (provided it's a design issue or a common flaw), then I would imagine the DXR15 to exhibit the same behaviour.
As asked above, how long is the TS cable?
With no guitar connected, does amount of hiss vary when adjusting the monitor out volume?
I tested it with 2 different cables. A 10' Mogami Gold cable, and a 1.5' ProCo cable. Noise was the same with both. And the noise is gone with the Kemper unplugged from the DXR. As soon as I connect either of the DXRs to the Kemper's monitor out, the noise is there.
I know you can change the levels of the DXR and outputs on the Kemper. Everything I've read says to send the DXR a higher output, so that you can keep the DXR volume rolled back to help reduce noise. But when I was using the XLR main output of the Kemper, I actually had the output set lower on the Kemper than I did when compared to the 1/4" monitor out level.
When using the monitor out, the tone and all other audio is fine. It's just that the hiss becomes significantly louder than when using the Main output with an XLR. When I get home, I'm going to try plugging in the 1/4" cable from the Main left output to the DXR and see what the noise level is like with that setup.
As asked above, how long is the TS cable?
With no guitar connected, does the hiss follow the monitor out volume?
Tried 2 different cables. A 10' Mogami Gold cable and a 1.5' ProCo cable. The hiss continues regardless of whether the guitar is connected or not. I've also tested it with the Kemper's main volume turned all the way down. No difference there either. When connected via the main outputs with an XLR cable, the entire setup is extremely quiet (at that point, the natural hiss from the Yamaha is as others said, very negligible). Completely different story when the monitor output is used. I'm going to try a couple things when I get home if I have time, and will also try to do a video with some sort of reference as to the volume of hiss that is occurring. But all I have to record video on is a GoPro or my iPhone. The iPhone didn't do a great job with the audio, so I'll see if the GoPro does any better.
I don't really know if the Kemper is defective, because other than the hiss, everything else sounds the way it does as compared to the main outputs (tone, volume of the actual guitar, etc.).
I wonder if you'd be able to tell anything with the cable plugged into the DXR but unplugged from the kemper - there will certainly be some noise this way, but maybe you can tell whether the "original" noise is still there. If that is the case, the fault does not lie with the kemper. Maybe you could try plugging the cable from the DXR into a pedal or something (pedal being turned off/disconnected/unpowered, of course), to see if the noise is still there.
I wonder if you'd be able to tell anything with the cable plugged into the DXR but unplugged from the kemper - there will certainly be some noise this way, but maybe you can tell whether the "original" noise is still there. If that is the case, the fault does not lie with the kemper. Maybe you could try plugging the cable from the DXR into a pedal or something (pedal being turned off/disconnected/unpowered, of course), to see if the noise is still there.
I'll try that tonight as well.
The XLR connections have stronger output, and thus the XLR's on the DXR are also more attenuated, resulting in less hiss. I'm thinking much of the hiss comes from the more sensitive jack inputs on the DXR. I bet you'll lower the hiss considerably by not attenuating the monitor out on the Kemper, and lower the input on the DXR?
What happens if you just connect that short 1,5' ProCo cable to the DXR? Any hiss?
I hooked the DXR up tonight with just a 1/4" cable into the Line 2 input (the other end was not plugged in to anything). It was very quiet.
I then turned the volume knob on the back of the DXR down to about -8dB (the 9:00 position), and turned the Monitor Output of the Kemper up to around -11. That helped quite a bit. It's still not nearly as quiet as the XLR cables with the Main Outputs with those outputs set to around -15 and the volume knob of the DXR at 0dB. But, this has at least reduced the hiss to a volume which shouldn't be an issue on stage, which is all I really care about. So I think the problem is solved for me at this point. Is there any reason why I shouldn't set the volume of the DXR down even lower, and increase the output of the Kemper even more? It seems as though that would reduce the hiss even more. But I'm wondering if there is a certain threshold that I need to be aware of where turning the monitor down too low would have a negative effect for some reason. Yes, no?
I will say that after doing all these tests and hearing how much quieter the XLR option is over the 1/4" cables, I'm wondering why CK didn't provide an option to use XLR or 1/4" cables for the Monitor Out as he did for the Main Outs, especially since so many people do use PA speakers with XLR inputs as their stage monitor for the KPA. I'm not complaining; this was just a legit question that crossed my mind while running through this. With that said, CK is light years beyond me when it comes to hardware and design. So I'm sure there is a valid reason.
I'm just happy that I don't need to return the Kemper!
Btw, my experience is that you can turn the monitor output to 0 db without clipping the Yamaha input.
This helped me a lot in reducing the hiss issue. Now I keep the KPA monitor output to -2/3 so I have some spare power in case I need to turn up the volume onstage without having to mess with the Yamaha.
That's the way to go 
Feed the Yamaha as much as you can.
No problem to keep 2-3dB of spare level just in case you need a little more during the gig.
Is there any reason why I shouldn't set the volume of the DXR down even lower, and increase the output of the Kemper even more? It seems as though that would reduce the hiss even more. But I'm wondering if there is a certain threshold that I need to be aware of where turning the monitor down too low would have a negative effect for some reason. Yes, no?
Since the hiss is reduced when lowering the DXR's input (and not increased by raising Kempers output), this exess hiss is due to improper gain staging, and comes from additional gain on the DXR. The DXR can take a maximum of +16 dBu on input 2, and Kemper's maximum TS output is in fact +16 dBu. There really is no need to attenuate the monitor out at all 
Just be sure to keep the Kemper's output led out of the red.
EDIT: I see that there's not much to go on, as the DXR's input approaches "OFF" at this point....so just set Kemper's output where you feel it's a good balance. Anyway, you shouldn't be afraid to overload the DXR 
