Is this with MK1 device? Stage?
Yes MK1 Stage. I first had the slower boot issue when I upgraded to OS 13.0.1, so I reverted to OS 12 for the time being.
But today I tried upgrading to 13.0.5 and the issue did not surface again. The release notes for 13.0.5 mentioned clock fixes and boot issues for some Stage MK1s, so just figured I'd try, and it did seem to fix the issue for me.
Just in case this thread comes up in any searches, I just updated to OS 13.0.5 and the slow boot time issue now appears to be fixed.
Boot times are now back down to 25 seconds regardless of whether I use the button to power off or pull the plug.
What happens if you shutdown the unit in Browser Mode and restart then?
Tried this but it didn't change anything for me.
I opened a support ticket and they sent me OS 12. Once I installed that it fixed the problem.
Just to be thorough I tried upgrading again to OS 13, and as expected the problem came back.
Reverted back to OS 12 after and the problem went away again.
I returned to version 12.1.2.57916 of the OS and the boot became fast again and the problem with resetting the date and time also disappeared.
Where were you able to get OS 12.1 from? I can't seem find it on the Kemper downloads page anymore.
On my Stage, I’ve always turned off the power
No issues
I wouldn't really care about turning it on/off via a power strip... except if I power both the stage and the power cab on at the same time, the stage makes the power cab give off a loud popping sound at the beginning of its boot.
So I've always manually powered the stage on first and then the cab after... which afaik is what Kemper recommends.
it's fixed for me. After a few boots it was done. Did your stage do the optimising after the update? Reorganising presets or sth?
I assume so.. after it first updated it took several minutes to do its first boot (which I'd expect). But since then, I've booting it dozens of times after and the behavior is:
• If shut down normal way by holding the power button, it takes 45 seconds to boot on next startup.
• If shut down by cutting power from powerstrip or pulling plug, it only takes 25 seconds to boot on next startup.
Before the update it would always boot in about 25 seconds regardless of how it shutdown.
I use a power bar to shut down my Kemper and most of my studio gear except my computer. I have been doing it for years never had a problem. I never touch the power button on the unit itself it 25 seconds boot up time from the time I turn the power bar on.
Just tried shutting it off by pulling the plug, and what do you know... on the next boot it took only 25 seconds. Then tried shutting it off again via holding the button and it went back to taking 45 seconds on the next boot
This makes no sense to me, if anything I'd expect the opposite to be true...Does anyone know why it would boot slower after a clean shutdown and boot faster after a power cut? Anyone else experiencing this?
It never did this before updating to OS 13. Does anyone know where I can download OS 12?
Are you shutting down fully? Anything plugged into the USB?
Yes, shutting down by holding the power button and waiting for the shutdown bar to finish until it turns itself off.
No USB plugged in.
Also I noticed before the OS upgrade, if I had a speaker connected and turned during boot, it would make a popping sound within the first 5 seconds or so of the boot process. Now it makes the popping sound after 25 seconds into the boot.
I get that you its best not to have any speakers turned on during the boot to avoid the pop, but just mentioning it because of the timing of it changed.
is this persistant or did you get the increased boot time only right after the update?
The slower boot time is persistent. It surfaced after upgrading and it now it takes 45 seconds to boot every time. I wanted to try reverting back to OS 12 (at least temporarily) to see if the boot time would go back to being faster, but I cant find the software anymore.
I'm getting slower boot times after upgrading my Stage to OS 13.0.1. Its taking over 45 seconds to boot, before that it maybe about half that. Is there anyway to make the boot time faster again? If not how can I downgrade back to OS 12.0.1? I can no longer find that OS version available for download
EDIT 12/27/25: I updated to OS 13.0.5 and and the slow boot time issue now appears to be resolved.
There's nothing inside of it that wears down mechanically/naturally, except maybe the buttons, knobs or led bulbs. It doesn't even have fans.
So baring physical damage, or exposure to extreme temperature/humidity conditions.... I don't see any reason that it can't last years or possibly even decades.
I have made an ‘ir’ of each of the imprints and use them in a Quad Cortex in place of the QC’s regular Cab block to send to a pair of Cabs with Kones.
With just a touch of eq tweaking in the ir block and then save those tweaks per preset it really improves the sound and makes it a viable way to get away from the FRFR and closer to the cab-in-the-room sound.
Is it as effective as when I use the Stage into the Kemper Kab ? I’d say not as easy to achieve and not nearly as fast to try out different imprints but the end result sound wise is really close. Well worth doing in my mind
Good to know it pretty much works soundwise. Right now the Kemper is the only digital amp/modeler that I own, but I'm sure if you uploaded your Kone IRs to rig exchange, other guys who own the Kabinet and other modeling amps would love try them out.
Also if I were using this approach with a non-Kemper amp and the Kabinet/Kone, I would probably get a dedicated cheap IR pedal (like this) and load all the Kone imprint IRs to it. This would allow you to achieve fast switching of imprints... and possibly even allow the Kabinet to be used with tube amps, (although for that you probably would need an attenuator or dummy load box of some sort).
Can the powered Kabinet be used with Helix/Fractal etc. units as well? I’m talking about just the FRFR mode of course.
On its own it probably won't sound good, since the Kemper is adding an EQ to make the Kone flat. But theoretically you can create an Impulse Response of FRFR mode (or any of the imprints), by running a frequency sweep through the Kemper on a profile that has its all its amp/cab/effects turned off and Kone mode switched on. Then you could load that IR onto Helix/Fractal or other modeler and use it with the Kabinet/Kone.
I doubt I'm the first one to think of this, but I haven't yet seen anyone say they actually tried this.
Yea. Imprints only go through monitor outs, so your signal coming out the main outs and going to FOH will stay the same
Imprints are really good IMO, but keep in mind they only emulate speakers not the cabinet and the Kab is physically a 1x12. So if you have a profile with V30s in a 4x12 cab, the Kab with the V30 imprint will sound different... like a V30 in a 1x12 (unmic’d).
Thats why for high gain stuff some of us prefer to use full range mode
Powered Kab is the better option if you are looking for something dedicated for only playing guitar with the Kemper, since it will do multiple imprints options or Full Range.
Studio monitors are a better option if you want something that has uses outside of the Kemper. Such as if you also do any home recording/mixing or plan to use with other modelers
Did you notice any sound difference between powered Kemper and unpowered Kemper with Tc Bam200 preamp?
I don't have the powered Kab but did own the Bam200 and an ICEpower 200ASC (which is tonally similar to the ICEPower 300AS in the powered Kab).
When using the "flat" EQ setting on the Bam, the differences between the two were pretty minimal in my opinion. The ICEPower 200ASC may have had slightly better low end, but if anything it was subtle at best and hard to really notice.
I ended up keeping the ICEPower but mostly just out the convenience of being able to wire it directly into the speaker cabinet, and not having to worry about running a speaker cable or dialing in the eq settings. I liked the tone and form factor of the Bam though, and a unit like that is nice to have as a backup or if you ever need to run the Kemper or other modeler into another guitar cabinet... Wish they would make one with a simple switch to bypasss the EQ .
I haven't been able to try the Kone in a large space either, but if I recall CK mentioned in the Kone & Kab Q&A thread that the Kone does have a wider dispersion pattern than regular guitar speakers.
I've been reading this conversation and I have a comment. But let me say I have some rock experience playing out, not a ton. None in very large venues.
I thought the point of the Kone, powered or not, was to serve two main functions. There maybe more, these two stick out.
1. Practice in a jam session or bedroom with great sound
2. Act as a monitor for guitar player in a large or louder session while the KPA feeds front of house.
I would never expect a 12" speaker fed by a solid state box to accommodate anything much bigger than a medium sized bar type venue. Of course nobody is going to mic a Kone cab, that's why we have the KPA in the first place, to either feed a Kone, or PA or both. I wouldn't consider buying multiple Kones, it seems redundant and unnecessary.
So am I thinking correctly here or what?
If you can't hear yourself at practice in a metal band why not just feed the KPA into the mains with the vocalist? You don't have to put it all in, just enough.
Yea, for the most part.
The only reason to have multiple Kones is either to run separate cabs for stereo or, to use in a 2x12 or 4x12 cab purely for tone (Kone imprints replicate the tone of a speaker but not a cab).
But if we are talking about loudness, you'd want to mic up any rig in a venue larger than a small bar (or run direct to the FOH if using a Kemper). The 1x12 Kab should be sufficient for situations small enough where rigs don't need to be mic'd up.
