Direct out vs. interface out

All depends on the quality of your interface's DA converters, methinks Nicolas.

If its DAs are as good as or better than the Kemper's, there'll be no difference.
If they're worse, then obviously the the Kemper->monitor (direct) connection will be better.

The output EQs are most useful to globally adapt your existing setup to different speakers and rooms. For instance, you may find that your familiar rigs sound different in a live venue with less than ideal hardware and room characteristics: the output EQs can be used to compensate for these differences.

Since you're relatively new to the Kemper and perhaps still establishing your own personal "reference" sound, and since your monitors are presumably more or less neutral, I would leave the output EQs alone for now.

Between the amp EQ and the stomp EQs (graphic and parametric/"studio"), I would start with the amp EQ because its controls are conveniently right there on the front of the unit, and because it saves you one effect slot.

If the four bands of the amp EQ don't get you where you want to be, you can add an extra EQ stomp for finer control. Put it before the amp section to affect the sound of your guitar as it goes into the amp (which influences the distortion characteristics), or after the amp section to sculpt your overall sound.

Beside if you have real bad interface (which you don't have) you need a good acoustic situation to really notice differences in AD/DA conversion. If you hear a significant difference between the connections the chances are, that it's not the conversion. So do whatever suits your needs best. If you want to integrate your computer for playbacks or recordings and perhaps do some easy reampings later than spdif is in my opinion the most versatile way.

Whilst some go ape$#!t with EQ in the unit, I stick with the amp-stack knobs and various other settings such as pick, clarity, definition, amp comp and Pure Cab™.

Call me old-fashioned, but that's generally how things go in the real world (if you ignore all that control through these other settings) as far as EQ goes when recording. The rest is done by the engineer when mixing.

I had this same question/thought - as to me it seems like direct from KPA to monitors sounds and feels better. I have an Audient ID22 and Apollo Twin - I've played through SPDIF out to monitors. - but for me - it just sounds and feels better direct to monitors.

Hey, welcome to the forum, sogrocks!

Yeah, I'm all-analogue-connected too. I don't trust digital for connections due to past experiences; these days converter quality more-or-less negates the need to use them IMHO. In addition to that, and this is kinda esoteric, but I like the idea of my signals' actually becoming real voltages surging down lines. I feel as if this somehow gives them more life, and therefore connect all MIDI outboard, Kemper and mic pre's this way - my entire setup IOW. In fact, I have no digital input connectors on my interfaces.

Maybe that's what you're hearing - some sort of analogue rounding that affects feel? This is what I'm talking about. Even if it's not real and only a placebo effect, I'm happy to do things this way due to the good feeling I get knowing that my signals have some "juice" at some stage in the signal path as they would've in the "olden days".