I have had Kemper Profiling Amps on and off for the last couple years, normally selling them when I realize I don’t actually play them like an amp as much as I twiddle through the thousands of profiles I have on my computer. The concept of the Kemper was a ground breaking thing 10 years ago, but has been done by other companies with more powerful processors and updated UIs. The one thing none of the competitors have match thus far is the powered head/rack with their built in 400 watt solid state amplifiers which let you use the Kemper as a stand alone amp.
But there has always been a drawback to doing that, which is your still had to lug your favorite cab around with you (in my case a Two-Rock 2×12 open back) and it never quite sounded right for the different profiles, though I find I prefer the Two-Rock for most amps, digital or tube. Then Kemper came out with the Kab and Kone which are Full Range Flat Response (FRFR) speakers make by Celestion in a small cab (or sold alone). These plus a software update promised to let you change the sounds and response of the speaker to match a selection of popular speakers, giving you a truer amp in the room experience. But do they deliver?
Having picked one up for myself, I immediately loaded up some of my favorite profiles of a Hi-Octane kit amp I once had. It’s a 5 watt class-A Marshall clone, that sounded incredible when you pulled the second preamp tube out, giving more of a JTM vibe. I profiled this amp a while back using a direct box to record the speaker out signal, meaning the cab/mic was not in the “direct” profile giving it a true amp only feel. So how did it sound into the Kab? In a word: Terrible. You see, what I expected was that the Kemper Kone setting in the software would make the Kab work like a standard guitar cabinet. Instead what it does is use the existing cab information in the profile (in my case, nothing) and tweak the response and eq curves to mimic having that cab loaded with different speakers.
At this point I was pretty much ready to return the Kab and sell yet another Kemper, but then I decided to do a quick copy/paste of a Two-Rock cab off another profile, onto my Hi-Octane profiles to see how well it works compared to my actually cab. While I can say it’s not 100% accurate (partly because there is no impulse for the Two-Rock branded speakers in the cab) it does sound much better, and the little 1×12 Kab can really put out some volume and bass despite it’s diminutive size. Oh right, lets talk the Kab itself.
It’s small, about the size of a Fender Princeton, meaning it can fit pretty much anywhere. This plus it’s laughable weight (25 lbs) means it’s very portable, something that I was really excited for. You see, I have my guitar amps all setup in a nice place in the basement, good for playing and recording, but not near my computer. Especially having gotten rid of my Bloomfield Combo, I no longer have a good way to play guitar in my office area, so being able to chuck this speaker under my desk and far enough back that I won’t kick it is great.
The weight also means I can carry the Profiler in it’s case in one hand and the Kab in the other hand down halls, up stairs and anywhere else with ease. I’m still not sure how that speaker is so light, being used to a 1×12 Blackshadow in my old Mesa Boogie Mk III weighing almost 20 lbs by itself, I’m not sure how this beast of a speaker exists. What do I mean by “beast of a speaker”? The Kemper Kab is rated for 200-watts rms! Though they do say that you shouldn’t use it with any other signal generator as it won’t sound right unless running the Kone software, but it does pump out tons of volume. The bass response of this skinny, tiny speaker cab is also quite impressive thanks to that power handling and a bass boost option in the Kone settings page. I still need to play with it more, but it seems to get close to my very large 2×12 cabs in overall bass response, which is very impressive.
So what is my final verdict? At $500 with tax, it feels a bit too expensive, but if you want to go with a Kemper as your main rig without resorting to in-ears, it is a pretty good option for monitoring on stage. Ultimately for me, I am a bit disappointed by it’s failure to work without a cab in the profile, and I would have returned it the next day had the store I bought it from online not had a 5% restocking fee. But I am glad I didn’t as the more I use it, the more I find how I can tweak it to get some great tones and am spending less time zipping through profiles and more time playing guitar. Which is ultimately the goal of any gear.
Update (12/8/21)
The Kabinet is gone. In the end I decided the convenience of the light 1×12 didn’t outweigh the cost when I already have a couple 2×12 cabs I like the sound of the Kemper through already. Money-no-object, I probably would have kept it around just to have under my desk for the occasional quick play, but at $500 it just wasn’t worth it when something like a Yamaha THC, Waza Air or other more practical options exist for less.
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