Anyone up for the 'add on' amplifier

    Quote from viabcroce

    Hey, no problem! What I'm saying is that when you use a 100 W amp at a loud volume it's actually outputting a very low power (compared to its nominal output power). So that you can use an amp with a loudspeaker rated for a much less wattage as long as you do not open the Master volume all the way up *and* hit the strings very strong :)


    Yes of course you can, but usually the powerhandling of speakers are matched so that it is higher than the output of the amp so that it is unlikely that the speakers get overloaded and breaks.


    Its very easy to forget that maybe you set the master volume very high when you did something else or you reseted the KPA or made an update or something that made volume settings change.


    I would highly recommend that they at least put some volumecontrols on that poweramp that most poweramps have, not having this may prove expensive for users since it may lead to broken speakers.

    This is my first post as a new Kemper owner. Hopefully it's understandable if massive volume is not much a part of my priorities. I've already done plenty of damage to my hearing in many years of loud situations. That's one of the reasons I would prefer a low-to-medium-powered Kemper amp module. But there are other reasons why I think low-to-medium power makes sense.


    Studio use compared to massive-volume use are pretty much at opposite ends of the spectrum. That the Kemper could successfully house a low-to-medium power section seems more realistic to me. Massive-volume users needing high power solutions already have them at hand. Trying to make a Kemper power section be all things to all people doesn't seem practical. Design tradeoffs should hopefully lead to the most needed and useful options. Better in my opinion to make the Kemper amp module have great sound and be expandable with outside power amps rather than to stuff an overpowered amp section in there and suffer consistency or sound quality problems as a result.


    I think high power in a small-sized enclosure like the Kemper is asking for trouble in reliability of the preamp due to heat buildup that would likely occur unless a fan is added. Fans are great if you're playing loud but at low volume they are generally audible and that is what concerns me. I am fan-phobic because background noise can be extremely distracting in a studio. Of course, other user's mileage may vary.


    For my uses, something around 30 to 50 watts per channel in a stereo power amp would be ideal. 50 watts per side would certainly be a respectable amount of power in the small Kemper enclosure. If someone needs to be louder, there are already a few great options to be had. I'd be happy with a 25 watts-per-side stereo amp or maybe a 30-watt mono amp in the interests of reliability and audiophile sound quality. Stereo is already an option with an external power amp so, for me, it's not as big a priority as having an amp with reliability, portability, and foremost, excellent sound quality.


    Of course, if an amp section can be designed that meets my wishes for clean, quiet and dependable power and it has 250 watts per side, so much the better!


    Please understand this is just my opinion. My thanks to those in the forum who are helpful and friendly. We are stronger and more vital if everyone respects the other viewpoints even if they disagree. Everyone has the right to their opinion. All the best to each of you who are Kemper users!

    Ciao BluesBird,


    welcome here :)


    Not necessarily a powerful amp implies sound deficiencies, it of course depends on its design.
    On the market there are already good options to have lot of power in a small package (thinking of Matrix amps for example; I'm sure such a design could easily be converted to fit KPA, even in the new 3x500 W layout).


    I honestly don't see the use of a specific retrofit poweramp section in a studio, but don't actually have to do with studios so much so this could just be a matter of experience-lacking ;)


    In a perfect world, every musician would probably have the option to use whatever they like in whatever package, shape, weight... Let's see what the market will output for the KPA. There are third-part solutions on the work as well :thumbup:

    Thanks for your thoughtful reply and for welcoming me to the forum.


    Everything you said above makes a lot of sense. I'm concerned about high power being a tradeoff with negative aspects of background hiss noise or problems with fan noise or reliability issues, but amp technology has advanced a lot, hasn't it? I can agree that high power isn't a problem as long as quality sound is still there.


    A friend commented that if the fan is a larger 80mm one with thermostatic control, fan noise probably wouldn't be obnoxious. I accept all of this with optimism that a great solution will occur that will satisfy most users.

    Have you heard of Matrix amps? They supply several different solutions, in extremely light and never-overheating chassis. Extremely powerful, and well-sounding.


    This links to their guitar modeler-addressed amps and cabs (I believe the active cab will be out soon).


    Maybe nothing from their curernt offer might be of interest for you, but I believe this is the direction to look at for our future KPA amp :)

    I just hope that the add-on amplifier will be without fan (i.e. convection cooled). I wouldn't want to have the noise from a fan during pianissimo parts of the music.

    www.audiosemantics.de
    I have been away for quite a while. A few years ago I sold my KPA and since then played my own small tube amp with a Bad Cat Unleash. Now I am back because the DI-profile that I made from my amp sounds very much convincing to me.