KSR Orion
- Thread starter jinch0
- Start date
MatrixClaw
Well-known member
This is super interesting. Been looking at the Ares for a while, but really only having one channel kept me from getting it. This is perfect in size and flexibility!
It has a lot of features for the price. There's a demo in the KSR you tube channel.
dawnofdreamx97
Well-known member
Nice love Kyle and his stuff .... still love my ceres pedal!
Kyle sent me clip of Dino from Fear Factory playing it last week and I was sold. @MatrixClaw the Ares being one channel isn't really the same as a one channel. You have 2 gains, 2 masters with a shared EQ. So it's almost like a 1.5 channel.
I haven't seen the gutshots but he said is the same power section as a PA50 so I imagine it a toroidal transformer. I was contemplating getting another PA 50 or another Ares but this seems like the way to go. 5 watts is negligible.
I haven't seen the gutshots but he said is the same power section as a PA50 so I imagine it a toroidal transformer. I was contemplating getting another PA 50 or another Ares but this seems like the way to go. 5 watts is negligible.
stratjacket
Well-known member
Looks very cool and a lot of amp for $1799. Hard to get U.S.A. made amps at that price, very cool. The Artemis is still my main stay amp. Ceres +PA50 is awesome as well. He makes killer stuff.
grrr_me_scary
Active member
And if a person can use a device (i.e. AXE FX, Helix, ......) that can set up the Ares in a 4CM configuration then it is easy to switch between an additional channel/preset making the Ares pretty much a 2.5 channel amp.
I have been using my AXE FX XL+ with an Ares and I am able to have an amazing clean channel option from the XL+ (unlimited number of clean/additional channels) and then switch between the "2" gains/masters on the Ares.
I had purchased a PA50 for some of my preamps and I compared it to a direct inputting of the Ares return.
I found that the Ares sounded much better plus I was able to switch between the "2" masters.
The PA50 did sound pretty good with anything I had connected to the PA50 but the Ares added something extra to the tone plus the "2" masters and the ability/option to use the killer crunch/lead of the Ares were the deciding factors to sell the PA50 since it really was not needed.
Hopefully some additional clips will come out for the Orion since pretty much anything KSR has sounded pretty killer and Kyle does not go cheap on build parts and/or quality!!
I have gut shots, I can ask him if he's cool with me posting them. They're from the prototype, not the production but I think the only difference is the transformers.
It's also 50w clean with the production transformers. It measured 45w with the prototype.
I’ve owned a an Orthos mk2 first then went to a ceres based rig then a PA50/Ceres based rig. Finally I ended up getting an Ares and I loved it more than any other KSR combo. It just had a little aggression to it that the Orthos didn’t. I ended up selling it to pay off my Chubtone Explorer. I sold it to Daniel at Deadweald for a killer deal with the stipulation that if he sells it I get first dibs. Unfortunately he isn’t letting it go which I completely understand.
At any rate I’m putting a deposit on one after I settle up an invoice on my Atla. I have had zero g.a.s. lately for amps except for the Headfirst and now this. Thank god the Mark VII didn’t wow me
grrr_me_scary
Active member
Yeah, there were one or two videos where someone made the VII possibly appealing to me, however, it was not true for most of the videos, so I was able to refrain from an impulse buy as well, plus I found the amp was missing the Master/Solo Volume option on the front and the Volume Control for the effects loop on the back.
Funny thing is that I would tell my friend about each time you had posted the Ares for sale (at super low prices) since they were the lowest I had seen for the MK2 version of the Ares with the Clean Mod from Kyle (and I thought he would be extremely happy with an Ares).
I have the Clean Mod on my Ares but I prefer using the XL+ to get my "extra" Clean Channel and then use the "2" Masters to switch between either a Crunch or Lead or switch between a Lead with less gain and a Lead with more gain.
I am pretty happy with my Ares but it would be interesting to hear somebody do an Ares versus Orion comparison for those people that are looking to save a little more space and don't have something that can get them the 4CM 2.5 channel set-up like mine.
Yeah single with a modeler a single channel tube amp is really a good choice with the 4cm. You really can’t beat a clean tone from those but you can definitely beat their high gain tone. I’m like 95% sure I’m going to put a deposit down on the Orion although I might go back to the Ares. I miss that amp.
MatrixClaw
Well-known member
Yeah, the problem with the Ares is that I'd want the clean mod on it and the lack of separate EQ doesn't make it very appealing.
grrr_me_scary
Active member
You should try a 4CM set-up with an Ares and a modeler known for nice clean amps (clean tones) such as an AXE FX (or Helix).
All my friends say it is one of the BEST clean channels on any amp that they have ever heard and they don't realize that I'm getting it from a preset that I had made on my AXE FX II XL+
Then I switch the preset to another clean that I had made on the XL+ and they say the same thing again, lol.
I just keep everything else the same except for the new "clean" modeled amp but I am able to add new effects or whatever as well
The Clean Mod is around $250 so a person could save the $250 and buy any of the older AXE FX devices or even an AX8.
I am already using the Fractal MFC-101 to control the XL+ and switch everything on the Ares but I had purchased an AX8 as well to do the same thing as the XL+ plus the AX8 will even switch channels via an external midi relay switcher like the KSR one or a Voodoo Labs one (so no need for an MFC-101).
MatrixClaw
Well-known member
Sold my FM3 last year and really have no intention of going back to one. I get the point of 4CM, but if an amp can't do what I want by itself, I just sell it. I just really don't enjoy using modelers for anything other than recording, because it's just easier, I also don't really care to mess with MIDI - I get why people think it's cool, but I've never really needed a use for it as I just like plugging straight in. I have other amps that are just fine without anything else and assuming the Orion isn't wildly different from the Ares in voicing, it ticks all the boxes for me at $250 less than the Ares + Clean modYou should try a 4CM set-up with an Ares and a modeler known for nice clean amps (clean tones) such as an AXE FX (or Helix).
All my friends say it is one of the BEST clean channels on any amp that they have ever heard and they don't realize that I'm getting it from a preset that I had made on my AXE FX II XL+
Then I switch the preset to another clean that I had made on the XL+ and they say the same thing again, lol.
I just keep everything else the same except for the new "clean" modeled amp but I am able to add new effects or whatever as well
The Clean Mod is around $250 so a person could save the $250 and buy any of the older AXE FX devices or even an AX8.
I am already using the Fractal MFC-101 to control the XL+ and switch everything on the Ares but I had purchased an AX8 as well to do the same thing as the XL+ plus the AX8 will even switch channels via an external midi relay switcher like the KSR one or a Voodoo Labs one (so no need for an MFC-101).
grrr_me_scary
Active member
I had sold my FM3 last year as well and I have been recently thinking about selling my AXE FX 3 since the older Fractal units work pretty well for me for recording and using them for "effects-only-use" with my amps.Sold my FM3 last year and really have no intention of going back to one. I get the point of 4CM, but if an amp can't do what I want by itself, I just sell it. I just really don't enjoy using modelers for anything other than recording, because it's just easier, I also don't really care to mess with MIDI - I get why people think it's cool, but I've never really needed a use for it as I just like plugging straight in. I have other amps that are just fine without anything else and assuming the Orion isn't wildly different from the Ares in voicing, it ticks all the boxes for me at $250 less than the Ares + Clean mod
The KSR stuff is always quality so I would be really surprised if the Orion didn't sound pretty good and it would be interesting to find out that the Orion sounds as good as the Ares since the Ares has such an amazing amp tone.
Hopefully pretty soon we will hear someone comparing the Ares with an Orion to see how the amp voicings compare to each other.
From what I've heard the clean sounds much better than the clean mod on the Ares. The clean on the Ares is almost like a plexi cleanSold my FM3 last year and really have no intention of going back to one. I get the point of 4CM, but if an amp can't do what I want by itself, I just sell it. I just really don't enjoy using modelers for anything other than recording, because it's just easier, I also don't really care to mess with MIDI - I get why people think it's cool, but I've never really needed a use for it as I just like plugging straight in. I have other amps that are just fine without anything else and assuming the Orion isn't wildly different from the Ares in voicing, it ticks all the boxes for me at $250 less than the Ares + Clean mod
Any new news on this puppy?
Any production units out in the wild yet?
My trigger finger is twitching like crazy!
Any production units out in the wild yet?
My trigger finger is twitching like crazy!
Torgo2003
Active member
Not much yet but I think it's imminent. I ordered one directly from Kyle a few weeks ago and he said late June but there were also about 25 people ahead of me. I wouldn't be surprised if these start shipping any day now.