How good is the Kemper via traditional guitar cabinet?

    I bought my Kemper head about a year and a half ago and I have been loving it since. I bought a headrush 108 FRFR monitor with it and that's what I've used since. Obviously it sounds great, I love it, but it's not "amp in the room", it doesn't have the feeling, but the pure sound to you ear is stellar.

    The Kemper was my first really nice piece of gear, before that the only amp I ever owned or really played much was my spider valve 112. I actually played it for a sec today for shits and I realized how much I miss playing through an actual guitar cabinet. The tone isn't as good on the line 6 but the harmonics come through differently via a 12 inch guitar speaker vs a 8 inch FRFR with a tweeter or whatever.

    Coincidentally I also bought a Peavey Triple XXX a few months ago, because I'm now a Wannabe gearhead and it's an amp that was used on some of my favorite albums. I haven't bought a cab yet but I'm going to very soon and I know many people run their Kemper through a guitar cab. I'm thinking I'm gonna get a 412, probably a Mesa. And I'll also be able to run my Kemper through that cab, so my question is, is running the Kemper through a real guitar cab and not a Kemper kabinet, with the cab simulation turned off, the same as "amp in the room" feeling??

    I know some of my favorite artists use Kempers live, into a tube power amp and into 412s and I'm assuming using a different signal to FOH. What is your guys opinion on this? I'm gonna get a guitar cab either way, I'm just excited to be able use the Kemper through it as well.

    Best way I can think of to answer this:

    Cab emulation off -> real cab.

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    Running the Kemper into the power section of a tube amp with a guitar cab, (thereby using the Kemper as the preamp rather than the preamp of the tube amp), gives you "amp in the room."

    Does your Peavey Triple XXX have an Effects Loop Return?

    If so, run the Kemper Monitor Out into the Effects Loop Return (not Send) of your Peavey Triple XXX. Be sure in the Kemper to have Monitor Cab Off (Box checked.)

    Use the Master Volume on the Peavey along with the Master Volume on the Kemper to control volume. Start off with zero volume on the Peavey.

    Speakers make a huge difference. I'm sure you'll get great results.

    The cab is going to impart it's own tone to a large degree. The Peavey's poweramp will also impart it's own tone as well. I'm quite confident you won't be impressed with the results.

    I'd suggest run a neutral poweramp into your cab, or best yet run a neutral poweramp into some kones.

    The cabinet is going to be responsible for at least half of your tone, so the Kemper's versatility will be lessened to a large degree running through a guitar cab. However, most profiles will sound good through V30's imho, just accept whichever speaker you go with is going to be the colour of all your profiles

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    in general with direct profiles going into poweramp vs the real amp, the direct profile will be a little darker due to the profile having the power amp tone in the profile and also in the tube amp. I compensate for this with the eq. Add 0.4 -0.7 pres on the kemper then adjust the pres control to taste on the real amp.

    Edited once, last by tooltool (October 16, 2021 at 12:40 PM).