PowerHead with Active speaker?

Hi there,

I use a guitar kabel from the "monitor out" on the kemper to the second channel on the DXR10. That's the line input. All the settings on the DXR turned off.

Now you have the main output free to send to the FOH.

I have also the powerhead but because the dxr is a active speaker the power section is not in use.

If you are gonna use your powerHead with an active speaker you should plug it directly into the Monitor Out or one of the main outs (if you do this, make sure you got the main outs marked as both mono in the output section). When gigging, common connections would be monitor out to your monitor (cabs off on this output if it's a traditional cab, cabs on if its a FRFR speaker) and one or both of the main outs into the mixing desk for the PA.

Do not connect the output of your poweramp to any active speaker or mixing desk, you would damage the equipment!!!!

Use the powered output of your kemper only with passive speakers (traditional cabs or passive FRFR speakers)

Cheers.

Does anyone read the manual?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

It is AS CLEAR AS DAY.

Sorry for flying off the handle, but this has to be the 20th post within the last 2 days which could have been answered by the user, if they had performed the equivalent due diligence of lifting their little finger.

Apologies in advance, if I offended anyone, including the OP. But really..

Quote from imalrightjack

Hi all,

I've just ordered a Yamaha DXR10 to run with my Kemper PowerHead.

How do I safely connect it all up to use as a 'guitar cab'/onstage monitor/home use? I presume I'll just avoid the powered one I've used on a guitar cab.

Also, not 100% sure on which output to use (monitor or main) and whether I need to switch off the Kemper poweramp...which makes me wonder why I'd need an Active speaker (there seem to be few good passives out there).

Is it better to use the power from the Kemper or the speaker's power (if it's an option)?

Thanks!

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Quote from MementoMori

If you are intending on using a passive speaker and want to power it with the Kemper power amp, you need to use a speaker cable from the red speaker output on the top left:

[Blocked Image: https://wildwoodguitars.com/wp-content/upl…werhead_lg2.jpg]

I don't know why people keep getting told to use the monitor out, which is unpowered.

MementoMori, I think you need to read the thread, again.

The OP stated he was going to connect his powered KPA to a powered (active) Yamaha DXR10. In which case, he was correctly advised by @sercho to use the Monitor Out. However, that doesn't get anyone off the hook from doing their basic due diligence, and reading (or at the very least, referring to) the Kemper Reference manual.

active cabs have line in balanced and/or unbalanced so you use line cables. You are connecting a line signal, the source into an amp inside the cab. The speaker out of the powered Kemper goes into the amp in of passive cabs vía speaker cables like any tube amp.

Quote from imalrightjack

I understand @Tritium being irked. But I do have unanswered points

What difference does it make between Main and Monitor for personal use? I appreciate I'd use the monitor output onstage for my own purposes and the main to the desk. I'm just not sure what the differences are. Just down to the settings you choose?

And do you use a speaker cable, like you would a cab?

Thanks!

There is not any hard and fast rule, when it comes to using either the KPAs Main or Monitor Output(s) for personal use. However, the traditional "convention" is to use the KPA's Main Outputs for sending a stereo signal of the full Kemper profile (amp + cab) to a mixer / FOH. The KPA's Monitor Output is traditionally used for sending to a personal stage monitor. Assuming you will be using a single Yammy DXR10, I would recommend connecting it to the KPA's Monitor Output. In either case (i.e. Main or Monitor outputs), this will be a line level signal, so you will want to use an instrument / guitar cable, as these cables are shielded against RF interference.

Conversely, if you are ever using the Speaker Output of your powered KPA, to connect to a passive guitar cabinet or passive FRFR monitor, you MUST ALWAYS use a true speaker cable, as this is a high voltage, high power signal.

Cheers,
John

Edit -- I think it would be helpful to you if I also copy the following information from the Kemper Basic Manual (pages 20-22):

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Main Outputs:
This is your stereo MAIN OUT. Use these outputs to connect to a mixing desk in a recording studio, or to the front-of-house mixer in a live situation. These outputs deliver the entire Rig: Amp, Cabinet, and all Effects. You have a choice of XLR (balanced) or quarter-inch TS-jacks (unbalanced). The XLR outputs are protected against 48V phantom power fed by a mixing desk. However, you should avoid feeding phantom power into the Profiler if you want the best audio quality. Like all inputs and outputs, it offers a GROUND LIFT to prevent a hum loop.

Monitor Output:
Use this mono output to connect the Profiler to a stage monitor with its own level controls. This output also has its own GROUND LIFT. You can also connect this output to a power amp and a regular guitar cabinet. In this case, you need to switch the cabinet simulation off, using the soft button “Monitor Cab Off” in the Output Menu, to prevent unwanted coloration created by running a speaker-emulated signal through a guitar cabinet.
Bypassing the Cabinet Module can also be done by simply pressing the CABINET button. However, there are two differences compared to enabling “Monitor Cab Off”: I) Bypassing the Cabinet Module in the Stack Section is not a global setting, but is individual per Rig, as long as you don’t lock the Cabinet Module in its “off” state. 2) It will bypass the Cabinet Module for all outputs, while “Monitor Cab Off” will affect the MONITOR OUTPUT exclusively.

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The Kemper "Basic" and "Deeper View Reference Manual" can be downloaded here:

Download Link for Kemper "Deeper View and Reference Manual 5.1" and "The Basics Manual"

Guys,

A little more patience with us newbies might be in order...

The manual ? Clear as mud sometimes, to be honest.

Im a month into Kemper, and love the sounds, but the manual, layout, incremental learning path could be SO much easier.

Half of the stuff is literally like a foreign language to me personally...

Quote from imalrightjack

What difference does it make between Main and Monitor for personal use? I appreciate I'd use the monitor output onstage for my own purposes and the main to the desk. I'm just not sure what the differences are. Just down to the settings you choose?

And do you use a speaker cable, like you would a cab?

A cable between an amp and a passive speaker has to be a speaker-cable (thicker copper strands inside) as this is high voltage/current. I wish guitar-amp speaker outputs and cab-inputs would have switched to speakON connectors years ago. That would have prevented countless active speaker inputs from being blown, and countless microphone-cables from being fried.

My most important reasons for keeping the monitor outputs separate are (in addition to the technical aspects described in the manual):

• Volume control: With the mains disconnected from the master-volume control one can adjust the listening level to taste without affecting what goes to recording or to the live console.
• Stereo/mono issues: If you have only one monitor and use stereo effects to FOH or recording you should source the monitor-signal from the master-mono bus. Some stereo-effects sound weird if you listen to only one side or the other. The mains can also be sourced from the master-mono bus, but with the monitor separate there is one change less to keep track of as you connect the KPA in different scenarios.
• Consistent tone: Most stage cabinets/monitors, active as well as passive, will color your sound to some degree. You can use the monitor-output EQ to compensate for cabinet characteristics without messing with the main signal. I use studio-monitors with signal from the main outputs to set up my rigs, usually playing/mixing with multitrack-recordings from practise session to make sure the sound sit well in the mix. Then I connect the monitors I intend to use live and adjust the monitor-out EQ so that what I hear from the live-monitors is consistent with what I hear from the studio-monitors. This is if course just a baseline. Big surprises are rare, but minor adjustments to compensate for stage/venue characteristics may be required.