anyone switched from Axe Fx III to Kemper?

    Hey guys,

    I live in an apartment and i am volume restricted.
    I mainly play rock and metal and my amp is a Yamaha THR10.
    I hardly use any effects and I'm mainly concerned about good amp tones.
    I'm thinking about upgrading to something bigger and better sounding.

    But I have a hard time deciding between the Kemper and Axe Fx III.
    Anyone else who is volume restricted went from the Axe Fx III to Kemper and why please?


    Thanks for the help!

    Hi SloeGin

    I didn't switch from the Axe FX III to the Kemper or anything like that but, I did have to decide between the 2 when initially getting my Kemper Stage. If you're trying to decide between the 2 units, the BEST way to figure out which is for you is to try them both out side by side if you can:)


    I borrowed a friends Axe FX III when my Kemper Stage arrived because I wanted to make sure I was getting the right unit for me. That allowed me to figure out which I liked more in comparison to the other. If you don't test both, you'll always be wondering what the other unit is like and if it would be any better for you.


    Trying them both side by side is a sure-fire way to make a decision on which you prefer the sonic quality of, which UI you like more, and which features you prefer.


    I promise you, all the research you can do won't help you make as solid of a decision as if you checked them out alongside each other and decided that way.


    I know it's not possible for everyone and it's a difficult thing to make happen and it can be expensive. Other people's experiences can definitely help you gain some perspective on which features and such work for different situations! :) Thats definitely something to keep in mind. But with peoples' opinions and experiences (even mine;) lol), only take it with a grain of salt and use it for perspective rather than letting it form your opinion. You definitely want to figure out what you think about them on your own terms and after you get some hands on experience with the units if you can :)

    I know that's getting a bit deep and I apologize lol I'm just hoping I can help. And this is all stuff I wish someone had emphasized to me in the past haha.


    Anyways, this is my experience :

    I tested the Axe FX III and Kemper Stage side by side and ended up going with the Kemper stage. There were a few reasons. Mainly, I found that I got really great tones faster with the Kemper (the Axe FX III sounded great but, it took a lot longer to dial in. If I had it for more than a few days I'm sure I'd have gotten amazing tones faster after getting more used to the UI but, the Kemper was very "plug and play" for me). Also, there was a dynamic response and richness that I really liked about the Kemper that I couldn't figure out how to dial in on the Axe FX III (those things might have changed if I got to spend more with it but idk lol). I also really like the UI of the Kemper and how a lot of the parameters are more focused on dialing in and working with sound rather than the classic modeler approach. Another reason is because I really like the general business model for Kemper (Kemper units tend to have long life spans, and hold value well. And the company is very focused on developing things to add to the overall experience with Kemper like the Kemper Kab and Kemper Kone, etc. They don't seem to release hardware that's supposed to render the last generation of hardware obsolete). And for me, the Kemper Stage was just more accessible (sold in more online retailers and easier to find and has more options for the financial aspect like payment plans from different retailers and such) and it made more sense to go with the Kemper Stage because it's an all in one floorboard unit for almost half what it would be for an Axe FX III and a footcontroller.


    I found the Kemper to be the better option for me for now. But that doesn't mean anything negative about the Axe FX III. It sounded great, has a ton of IO and routing options, and has some truly great sounding effects in it! And it has a much larger variety of effects than the Kemper to be honest haha. The Kemper has really great effects, don't get me wrong. I think they hold a candle to some of the best boutique pedals. but the Axe FX just has more options for effects and especially a lot more ODs in it.


    But the ease of use and ability to get some great tones quickly (great tones in my opinion lol), along with it being more affordable and a better financial investment, and the general features like profiling from the Kemper, made it the right choice for me right now.


    Either could be the best option for you. It really just depends on your preferences, your workflow, what features you want/need, your financial situation, and which ends up suiting your specific needs the best. It's always tough to decide and figure out but for this specific decision, you're definitely the best man for the job ;)hahaha!


    Sorry for the novel, I hope it helps! Lol^^

    I recently switched from Axe Fx III to Kemper Rack. I mainly do recording at home so I was mostly concerned with the quality of the sounds. In particular which one sounds more like a real amp and cabinet. For me all I use in my signal flow is a noise gate --> tube screamer --> amp --> cabinet. I tend to apply most of my effects in the DAW while mixing. The Kemper was much easier to use in terms of getting a good sound. By turning the basic eq knobs in the amp section I am able to get the tones I need. It also helps to have good quality profiles to start. With the Axe Fx I would spend a lot of time trying to dial in a tone I was going for. In the Kemper, I seems to get the tones I need much faster. What I'm trying to say is if you value your time, get the Kemper. Your not going to know what is best for you until you try them out. Fractal does have a 1 week return policy or if you need it longer than a week you can flip it on ebay or reverb.

    I did a shoot out with a friend when the Axe FX III came out. We spent 6 hours plunking around and tweaking.


    I had the same experience as those above. The KPA gets a good tube amp tone faster. The AxeIII has richer and more complex efx and routing (much richer).


    I was very happy with my KPA after the head to head. Note, I am pretty sure the AxeIII can get very very close to a KPA in tone .... but man, it may take you a week to get there.