Amps with this sound? (KSR Artemis)

[jco5055]

I have an Orthos and I've had a Quick Rod and a Nitro.

They are apples to oranges. If you like the tones from these clips you will love having a KSR cause they sound better in person and have way more great tones in the box. I cant get a bad sound out of my Orthos and its a swiss army knife of tone. It can handle anything I throw at it.

Good to know! I'm aware generally the differences between the amps (for example I know the Gemini is identical to the Artemis but it doesn't have the extra lead channel), but am unaware if he tweaked anything more to the Gemini ie "improved" on some channel etc.

 

[jco5055]

The Artemis weighs 45lbs. Just saying...

Yeah it is heavy, I wish I could go to a store and just pick up various heads since mine now is 55lbs and i don't know if that 10 lb difference is enough or not for my preferences.

 

[311boogieman]

Sorry jco5055. I thought you already had a Artemis and was curious about other amps. I guess I read it wrong. I certainly was not trying to talk you out of getting a KSR if that's what you want. Carry on

 

[jco5055]

Sorry jco5055. I thought you already had a Artemis and was curious about other amps. I guess I read it wrong. I certainly was not trying to talk you out of getting a KSR if that's what you want. Carry on

No worries at all! I did ask if any one thought there were amps that did the Artemis sound better etc.

 

[ClintN667]

KSR is definitely their own thing. Its a like a little bit of a bunch of different tones smooshed into one. I dont know. Revv from what I hear is like a brighter alternative.

 

[stratjacket]

I have an Orthos and I've had a Quick Rod and a Nitro.

They are apples to oranges. If you like the tones from these clips you will love having a KSR cause they sound better in person and have way more great tones in the box. I cant get a bad sound out of my Orthos and its a swiss army knife of tone. It can handle anything I throw at it.

Good to know! I'm aware generally the differences between the amps (for example I know the Gemini is identical to the Artemis but it doesn't have the extra lead channel), but am unaware if he tweaked anything more to the Gemini ie "improved" on some channel etc.

I believe the Artemis is the Colossus, only in rack form.

KSR site:
”After the hit of our flagship product, the Colossus H-100™, we knew we needed to take it to the next level with an over-the-top rack mount amplifier.”

 

[jco5055]

I have an Orthos and I've had a Quick Rod and a Nitro.

They are apples to oranges. If you like the tones from these clips you will love having a KSR cause they sound better in person and have way more great tones in the box. I cant get a bad sound out of my Orthos and its a swiss army knife of tone. It can handle anything I throw at it.

Good to know! I'm aware generally the differences between the amps (for example I know the Gemini is identical to the Artemis but it doesn't have the extra lead channel), but am unaware if he tweaked anything more to the Gemini ie "improved" on some channel etc.

I believe the Artemis is the Colossus, only in rack form.

KSR site:
”After the hit of our flagship product, the Colossus H-100™, we knew we needed to take it to the next level with an over-the-top rack mount amplifier.”

It is a bit confusing as it seems the Artemis is as you say, but the Gemini is like a 2.5 channel version of the Colossus but apparently it has more gain stages for the lead channel, which I understand matches that of the Artemis.

So it seems like there are bits and pieces from each amp and it's not as simple as "rack version" or "2.5 channel version" of the Colossus.

 

[Pushead]

I believe the Artemis is the Colossus, only in rack form.

My understanding is that the circuit of the Artemis has "the Wood mod" as a standard part of the voicing. On the Colossus, it's an option. I don't remember what, exactly, it does, but I believe it is slightly different than a stock Colossus.

Now that I think of it, I think there is also an added switchable option somewhere in the Artemis lead channel that the Colossus doesn't have. I think the Artemis has more in common with the Gemini than the Colossus.

*edit - if you look at the KSR website at the front panels of both the Colossus and Artemis, there are quite a few more switchable modes between the two, including a fat mode switch on the clean channel, and bright voicings on the lead channels (not just an on/off like the Colossus.)

 

[jco5055]

I believe the Artemis is the Colossus, only in rack form.

My understanding is that the circuit of the Artemis has "the Wood mod" as a standard part of the voicing. On the Colossus, it's an option. I don't remember what, exactly, it does, but I believe it is slightly different than a stock Colossus.

Now that I think of it, I think there is also an added switchable option somewhere in the Artemis lead channel that the Colossus doesn't have. I think the Artemis has more in common with the Gemini than the Colossus.

*edit - if you look at the KSR website at the front panels of both the Colossus and Artemis, there are quite a few more switchable modes between the two, including a fat mode switch on the clean channel, and bright voicings on the lead channels (not just an on/off like the Colossus.)

Yeah it seems to have various blends with each model, instead of a complete easy "well if you want only these two channels from this amp get this one" etc.

 

[ClintN667]

Yeah they definitely undersell how many options you have. Most companies would say that my Orthos would be 3 or 4 channels where as KSR says 2 channels with two modes each. I can set my channel 2's first mode to crunch than the second mode to high gain lead then footswitch between them.

 

[crankyrayhanky]

In the last year I had a KSR Ares and a Revv Generator flagship at the same time. They are quite different from each other. Both were awesome and had a modern vibe, but that was about it as far as being comparable.

The KSR seemed to have a squishier feel to it and the mids were placed lower. Sort of a polished Recto thing going on. I think Rectos would be the only really comparison IME but the KSR really has it's own thing- if that is the sound you seek you need to get one of the KSR models. The prices are reasonable as far as USA built amps go and the used prices can be excellent. Lots of choices too, with the Ares being the most affordable and by many accounts one of the better aggressive choices.

The Revv was (in most settings) much drier, more attack, and brighter. If I went to the Red channel with higher aggression settings, I could get it somewhat close to a KSR. The low end seems almost lacking in comparison, but once applied to a mix it is realized that it is perfect.

Playing them quickly, I would think the KSR was the amp to get. It feels amazing.
But the Revv has this awesome thing going on- everytime you record it or place it into band mix at rehearsal, it just sounded perfect. Insanely mix ready.

fwiw, I have them both profiled and the Revv profiles are the ones that get used 99% of the time for me live and recording this past year. The Kemper relieves some of that dry factor and really delivers clarity on the high gain stuff without sounding djent quacky or west coast hairmetallish (like many other modded Marshall tones seem to have).

Yes, I have flip regret. I would love to get another Ares and Generator one day...

 

[jco5055]

In the last year I had a KSR Ares and a Revv Generator flagship at the same time. They are quite different from each other. Both were awesome and had a modern vibe, but that was about it as far as being comparable.

The KSR seemed to have a squishier feel to it and the mids were placed lower. Sort of a polished Recto thing going on. I think Rectos would be the only really comparison IME but the KSR really has it's own thing- if that is the sound you seek you need to get one of the KSR models. The prices are reasonable as far as USA built amps go and the used prices can be excellent. Lots of choices too, with the Ares being the most affordable and by many accounts one of the better aggressive choices.

The Revv was (in most settings) much drier, more attack, and brighter. If I went to the Red channel with higher aggression settings, I could get it somewhat close to a KSR. The low end seems almost lacking in comparison, but once applied to a mix it is realized that it is perfect.

Playing them quickly, I would think the KSR was the amp to get. It feels amazing.
But the Revv has this awesome thing going on- everytime you record it or place it into band mix at rehearsal, it just sounded perfect. Insanely mix ready.

fwiw, I have them both profiled and the Revv profiles are the ones that get used 99% of the time for me live and recording this past year. The Kemper relieves some of that dry factor and really delivers clarity on the high gain stuff without sounding djent quacky or west coast hairmetallish (like many other modded Marshall tones seem to have).

Yes, I have flip regret. I would love to get another Ares and Generator one day...

Great info!

 

[lockingtuner]

There are a few ENGLs that might appeal to you. The SE, for example, has a very polished but aggressive sound.

 

[jco5055]

There are a few ENGLs that might appeal to you. The SE, for example, has a very polished but aggressive sound.

Yeah I've heard the SE is great, too bad it's discontinued so you have to wait for one to pop up used as the only option to explore.

 

[IntenseJim]

Kyle's customer service is A+. Tops.

I plugged my Ceres into the wrong PSU and it wouldn't work because I fried something in there . Kyle fixed it no charge even though I offered to pay him for his services. After all, it was my fault.

 

[jco5055]

Going back to this, I think theoretically my favorite sound is that KSR/"polished" sound, but I also like the clarity to be there, and it seems like a lot of the Recto and similar models are known for that "blanket over the speakers" quality. Are there any amps out there that meet this criteria? Would it be the Revvs since they are a brighter/more attack kind of amp compared to KSR?

 

[the4thlast1]

This just comes down to taste . Most of the time unfortunately it comes down to playing both amps for a bit in your own own environment (Your guitar/your cab/your jam room) ...That stuff all matters. So its hard to say unless you did that.

BUT the best description is that they are similar in the sense that both KSR and REVV have a modern metal character. Both have good clarity but the Revv might have a little bit of an edge because it has more of an upper midrange presence and attack. A friend of mine is a recording engineer and has tried pretty much every boutique amp out there. I brought my Revv over and he reamped a quick clip with it. He said it is one of the best sounding metal amps under a microphone there is. He used to own some KSR stuff for reference , which he did like but ended up not sticking around.

Some amps just record great and sit in a mix in a good spot. For example the engineer Im talking about has a 5150 that he uses time and time again on recordings for that reason. The Revv happens to also be an amp that is very easy to record and needs very little post eq'ing. It comes out of the gate sounding like it was already mixed and mastered if that makes sense. Now thats not to say you won't like the KSR character and low mid voicing more. Maybe there is someone near you that has a Revv or a KSR you can try ? Long shot I know.

 

[jco5055]

This just comes down to taste . Most of the time unfortunately it comes down to playing both amps for a bit in your own own environment (Your guitar/your cab/your jam room) ...That stuff all matters. So its hard to say unless you did that.

BUT the best description is that they are similar in the sense that both KSR and REVV have a modern metal character. Both have good clarity but the Revv might have a little bit of an edge because it has more of an upper midrange presence and attack. A friend of mine is a recording engineer and has tried pretty much every boutique amp out there. I brought my Revv over and he reamped a quick clip with it. He said it is one of the best sounding metal amps under a microphone there is. He used to own some KSR stuff for reference , which he did like but ended up not sticking around.

Some amps just record great and sit in a mix in a good spot. For example the engineer Im talking about has a 5150 that he uses time and time again on recordings for that reason. The Revv happens to also be an amp that is very easy to record and needs very little post eq'ing. It comes out of the gate sounding like it was already mixed and mastered if that makes sense. Now thats not to say you won't like the KSR character and low mid voicing more. Maybe there is someone near you that has a Revv or a KSR you can try ? Long shot I know.

Thanks! I can look around but unfortunately it will wait until the Quarantine stuff is over.