Kemper Stage vs. Player (Level III Upgrade)

Personally, I would take Rack/Toaster over anything but the Stage would be my choice f0r a floor based unit. Functionally its a no brainier but the form factor of the Player is very cool. I have a Powered Head and a Player. I actually use the player a lot because mostnof my rigs just need a good clean sound and a good dirty sound (basically a 2 channel amp) with maybe a boost and a delay every now and then. So the basic player is pretty close to ideal. If it had a built in power amp or I owned a powered Kabinet instead of the Passive one I have it would basically be all I need. Therefore, I don’t think it likely I would fork out the extra for the upgrade.

I actually see the issue as the reverse of the way it’s being positioned by most people on the forums, facebook etc. Rather than looking at the price of the updates to get additional features I see it as a great advantage that we can pay a lower price and gain access the Kemper ecosystem without paying for a bunch of,features you don’t need.

I think Level II gives you access to True Impedance on Player according to website:

Quote

And yes, there is the Kemper Drive System and Kemper Fuzz System, there are all the Equalizers. And there is access to the highly acclaimed Impedance Switch you all love from the PROFILER Stage for getting that ultra-authentic feel and behavior of your FUZZ tones.

When I bought my Rack - I bought it just for the amp section...... (bought it when the rack/head prices dipped after the release of the Stage). The player would have been a no brainer at the time if it had been available.

Adding the available upgrades makes it a full rig replacement - which - if you're not making profiles - is just dandy. Or it fits in with your existing rig - with way more features than the Teeny Cortex or Tonex. If I was making new rig...... I'd go for this. (but not be happy at the price).

But its the near same price as a used Stage. Which has a screen, doesn't need a midi controller, has more footswitches. And uses a regular power cable.

How much does one decent multi delay pedal cost?

At least $300.

Add all the reverbs, modulation, EQ, distortion, fuzz…..the Strymon Trinity - Timeline, Mobius and Big Sky are ~$480….EACH.

That’s 1,400+ with nothing else. Plus cabling and three pedals larger than the Player.

….and $300 extra for one box to do all of that plus amps, dirt, eq, signal chain and presets is a bridge too far.

“We want it all.” - The Masses say. Kemper gives it to us. The response is “NOT WHAT WE MEANT!!! AARRGHHH!?!?!?!?”

I agree someone’s being greedy. Just not Kemper.

I’m still trying to understand these questions ?
The player It’s $600 cheaper and I can fit it in my guitar bag. I don’t need an effects loop I have all the effects I need built in. There is a dedicated tuner button if I need it or I just use my external tuner pedal that also fits in my bag.
with the Morph feature now available I can do all I really need, extra footswitches are not a necessity.
Portability and lower price for a full featured Kemper seems like a good thing to me.

Kemper offers excellent products in various forms and no matter your choice they are all a good decision.
Let’s get back to playing music

Price difference between fully loaded Player and Stage is ~$600 - still a lot of money, if you ask me. If I didn't have Stage already I would order Player immediately. For the quality and longevity of KPA products I think the price is very fair. No brainer for me.

Quote from nwmusic32

Kemper Stage vs. Kemper Player (Level III)
Question: Is a Kemper Player (Level III) appropriately priced compared to a Stage? I'm not so sure...

Kemper Stage has the following that a Level III Player doesn't:
>> Profiling Capabilities

>> LCD Display

>> Several adjustment knobs and soft buttons
>> Performance Mode
>> Several additional footswitches for performance slots, up/down rig and performance selection

>> Actual tuner display and dedicated footswitch

>> Stereo effects loops

>> Stereo XLR out
>> Looper dedicated footswitch

Display More

In addition, these things that come to mind that I use,

>>spdif input

>>proper midi in/out connections

>>ability to send out 2 different midi messages to external devices

>>separate main/monitor levels

I’m thinking, that the stage is still the unit that fits my use best. It would be cool to have a smaller unit, but in my instance I don’t see the value in the player at it’s price. I think down the line if I found a used one for a depreciated price, I would pick one up.

I think is all question of perspective.. I always liked Kemper philosophy and sounds, however there was no device corresponding to my demand of portability. With the Player level III I finally have what I was looking since 15 years. I am reading a lot of posts saying that is missing features for the price it has, not considering that his size IS a feature. Of course somebody who needs in/out and footswitches a lot more than portability would consider the Stage as more appropriate. Considering size and portability as a feature I think it is well priced. A screen would be useful for the name of the rig, and maybe.. I am still not understanding the choice of the knobs on the panel... 😅 But finally I have a full-Kemper-power pedalboard with expression pedal and wireless in 40x20cm.

Yes, I agree it is nice for those where size is important. I also don't mind paying for upgrades. I did way back with Line 6 years also with the XT Live. For me, the combination of the hardware plus upgrades, priced it out of interest to me. Not that it is a very good comparison at all , but Boss managed to put their entire flagship modeler in the Core for $600. Although a very different device, it is a very nice pedal. I bought it instead of the Player when the Player was first released. Also in my case it is something extra that would have been nice but do not feel the need. I agree that it is awesome Kemper did this for those that have the need, and it is really cool they fit all the upgrades in a much smaller format.