Kemper Player - Loud Buzz in Headphone Output?

Since the Player isn‘t grounded the same way as the Stage: Have you tried another outlet (connected to another breaker) or another location? That is to rule out a faulty unit.

Depending on the noisiness of a particular electrical installation some sort of power conditioner or isolated power strip can help a bit.

Quote from DunnyDaw

I've been comparing the Player to my Stage, using preset 1971 Mars Golub Crch.

At the same settings, I'm getting a loud buzz from the Player, while the Stage is very quiet. Same guitar on the same pickup, output/monitor volume is about -11.9dB, all other settings are factory on both presets, and are the same. I'm listening via headphones, only a guitar input, a USB connection to Stage for Rig Manager, and using Rig Manager on Ipad for Player.

Is the Player considered noisy, or is there something else to look at?

I think I had the same problem and contacted the support. I was told that the Player can`t be used with headphones and guitar input only because of the way it is grounded, which is a bit of a downside for me. One of the scenarios I wanted to use it for was practicing with headphones and playalong via bluetooth without computer. On the website one picture of the player shows exactly this scenario.... Support told me that a grounded thing needs to be connected (Computer via USB, interface, monitor...) in order to get rid of the buzz. Could have been done better.

Same here.

Problem is (according to support) that there are no grounded external wall socket power supplys (the typical "wall wart") available on the market.

Yes, it's annoying if someone get's the player mainly for standalone use but i guess Kemper had in mind that most people will use the unit in combination with some kind of grounded equipment or at least plan to integrate the player into a pedalboard with (already existing) proper power solution. So from an economic point of view it makes no sense to supply a better (grounded + expensive) power solution per default as this would drive up the price of the unit for all customers regardless of whether they need it or not.

I got rid of the noise with a Cioks Sol - it's quite small, grounded and features excellently filtered isolated outputs. In addition you need 3 parallel adapter flex cables to combine 4 of the outputs into a single 9V @ 2.640 mA output (the included power supply delivers 9V @ 2.500 mA) which powers the player in the best possible way (original wall wart -> horrible hum/ buzz; Cioks Sol -> dead silence as it should be). Leaves you with one additional isolated output for another pedal (in my case a EAE Dude incredible). It's not the cleanest looking solution with the adapter cables but quite sturdy and still compact enough to fit in a gigbag together with the player.

If you need more outputs for other pedals then consider the Cioks DC7 + Crux - same performance im terms of audio quality/ noise level but a bit bigger and noticeably more expensive.

Quote from gniedelman

Same here.

Problem is (according to support) that there are no grounded external wall socket power supplys (the typical "wall wart") available on the market.

Yes, it's annoying if someone get's the player mainly for standalone use but i guess Kemper had in mind that most people will use the unit in combination with some kind of grounded equipment or at least plan to integrate the player into a pedalboard with (already existing) proper power solution. So from an economic point of view it makes no sense to supply a better (grounded + expensive) power solution per default as this would drive up the price of the unit for all customers regardless of whether they need it or not.

I got rid of the noise with a Cioks Sol - it's quite small, grounded and features excellently filtered isolated outputs. In addition you need 3 parallel adapter flex cables to combine 4 of the outputs into a single 9V @ 2.640 mA output (the included power supply delivers 9V @ 2.500 mA) which powers the player in the best possible way (original wall wart -> horrible hum/ buzz; Cioks Sol -> dead silence as it should be). Leaves you with one additional isolated output for another pedal (in my case a EAE Dude incredible). It's not the cleanest looking solution with the adapter cables but quite sturdy and still compact enough to fit in a gigbag together with the player.

If you need more outputs for other pedals then consider the Cioks DC7 + Crux - same performance im terms of audio quality/ noise level but a bit bigger and noticeably more expensive.

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Thank you for sharing your tips! Good for you, that you could work this out! It wouldn`t have been a problem for me if it wouldn`t have been advertised as a possible kind (homepage pictures) of use or if it wouldn`t have been presented as a possible way of use it in the manual.

I get you Stefan... same for me - the pictures on the website and the manual (typical use cases) are quite misleading in this regard and Yes, that's an annoying lack in communication. Especially considering that something like the Cioks Sol + adapter cables is another 184,- Euros on top (if you get it from Thomann here in Germany).

But it is as it is... i wanted the unit to work standalone, so i paid the price.

It´s very annoying. For 700.- I want to just plug it in and use it in every intended possible way without any problems. In addition to that my monitor outs are quite buzzy, too and the backup function via USB doesn`t work. The reason I bought it was the form factor and its limited fx (I don´t need that much) - indeed the Kemper product I`ve been waiting for.

But I don`t want to spend another 184.- for getting it to work properly.

On the other hand I understand that you spent the money and worked the problem out for you! Thank you for your answer!

HX Stomp uses an ungrounded wall wart and is dead silent. I have the same issue with my Player. Guess I'll have to lug a Sol around. For the record, I've seen numerous guys power the Player with just one current doubler, two outputs, from the Sol.

I used a BOSS GT-1000 previously and it was noisy. It had multiple noise gates and like 6 ground lift options. I even used the chassis grounding screw, my furman power strips, and ferrite on the cords. it never became completely quiet. i chalked it up to my old house's wiring and all of the wireless interference that comes with having wifi and smart lights all throughout the place. The Player on the other hand makes no noise for me beyond what can come about from lots of boost/gain. but that's easily killed with one of the onboard noise gates at about a 2.0 setting.

Noise is such a b!tch. Everyone has their own battles with it and it's a shame when it ruins a product for you and you have to spend more money to hopefully kill it.

I have also used hx stomp and gt1000core, yes, the gt1000core is very noisy.

I have been using isolated power sockets and mobile power sources, and the player performs very well. The noise that appears in the headphones can be almost ignored

Quote from AppleTreeChen

I have also used hx stomp and gt1000core, yes, the gt1000core is very noisy.

I have been using isolated power sockets and mobile power sources, and the player performs very well. The noise that appears in the headphones can be almost ignored

Is that a battery? What model and part number?

Quote from AppleTreeChen

I have also used hx stomp and gt1000core, yes, the gt1000core is very noisy.

I have been using isolated power sockets and mobile power sources, and the player performs very well. The noise that appears in the headphones can be almost ignored

what stand are you using for the Player? i just 3D printed one.

Quote from pat6969

Is that a battery? What model and part number?

The 9V-12V/3A mobile power supply can be used continuously on the Player for more than 5 hours, and can ensure stable output even when the battery is about to run out. You can find it on taobao.com for less than $20

Quote from BillyNoSocks

what stand are you using for the Player? i just 3D printed one.

This is also 3D printed, with poor quality and rough workmanship. There are very exquisite wooden brackets on the market, but they are not cheap