A Few Delay Reviews

**tenwatt** · 12-10-2010, 02:29 PM

I thought I’d give a very brief review on a few of the top of the line delays I’ve spent some time with over the last couple years. I used a couple Boss DD pedals for years. The DD-20 was the last one I used for a while before I switched over to the Eventide Timefactor for about a year and a half. During that time I experimented with many of the top of the line delays wondering what else they might offer. I've also played with just about every Memory Man known to man but I'll stick with reviewing these four, high quality delays.

Eventide Timefactor: This pedal is the most tweakable and has the most flexibility with presets. The sounds are great but this pedal sounds “cleanest” to me, almost over processed. The inability to scroll up AND down is frustrating when you have 20 presets to scroll through. You can by a separate switch to do this but that’s a little annoying. Overall the Timefactor still has a special place in my heart. It wouldn’t surprise me to see it back on my pedal board someday.

Pigtronix Echolution: Of all the pedals I’ve messed with I like the sound of this one the best. It’s very easy to use. The delay sounds PERFECT. The modulation sounds PERFECT. Two big problems…this thing is NOISY and there are no presets. I like this guy so much. It has so many switches and knobs it’s impossible not to want to play with it but the noise and presets make it a no go for me.

Dimond Memory Lane: This guy was REALLY overrated in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong, it SOUNDS amazing but the stock layout is kinda a one trick pony. No dotted eighth delay, no presets, it’s really just quarter note delay with modulation.

Empress Vintage Modified Superdelay: This is what I’m using now and what I like the best of all that I’ve tried. The sound is up there with or above the Memory Lane and the Echolution but it’s SO MUCH more diverse than the Memory Lane and offers a much more quite noise floor and presets unlike the Echolution. The tape delay is gorgeous on this thing. It has a BIT more of a learning curve than all the others but it’s possibly my favorite of the four.

I went to an M9 for about two weeks thinking it would be a cheaper solution to my delay needs but I really can’t stand it personally. I don’t know if my ears have been spoiled by these great delays or what but it just doesn’t sound GREAT to me. It’s a fun multi-FX unit but there is nothing that really stands out on it to me. With that said, it’s still easily the best multi-FX unit I’ve ever used.

I like the Superdelay a ton and intend on spending quite a bit more time with her but I still find myself missing the depth that the Timefactor has to offer. Of all the upper echelon delays these are the only two I would really recommend.

If you have any questions about any of these feel free to ask.

AdamAPHC · 12-11-2010, 05:41 PM

Which of these are all analog?

ibanez_dude · 12-11-2010, 07:35 PM

Cool and informative reviews, thanks for posting

Yeh, I agree with your assessment of the Timefactor. It is VERY clean, it's not really warm at all. The preset thing is annoying, but when you realize that another 3 button switch gives you access to 6 commands at once, it makes it worth buying. I have Preset 1, Preset 2, Bank Up, Bank Down, Infinite Repeats, and Tap Tempo always available to me. I liked the audio quality of the Nova Delay very slightly better over the Timefactor, but the preset thing (plus true dual delays) won the debate for me. I also know that I haven't explored the abilities of the timefactor to its full extent, it's got a ton of really cool stuff, and I'm not looking for a warm delay, and so I love mine

**tenwatt** · 12-12-2010, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamAPHC

Which of these are all analog?

Memory Lane.

thinbishop · 12-12-2010, 09:00 PM

I love cascading 3 delays on the m9/m13. It's the only machine I know of that can do up to 4 with perfect tempo.

Have you ever heard of the strymon el capistan delay? I've been looking at it for a week or so now. Wondering if you've ever had any experience with it.

Great review. It helps those of us who are too broke or lazy to buy and flip the pedals ourselves. And I've always wondered what each of those pedals had to offer.

AdamAPHC · 12-12-2010, 09:47 PM

You didn't notice much of a difference in sound quality?

**tenwatt** · 12-12-2010, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thinbishop

I love cascading 3 delays on the m9/m13. It's the only machine I know of that can do up to 4 with perfect tempo.

Have you ever heard of the strymon el capistan delay? I've been looking at it for a week or so now. Wondering if you've ever had any experience with it.

Great review. It helps those of us who are too broke or lazy to buy and flip the pedals ourselves. And I've always wondered what each of those pedals had to offer.

El Capistan sounds AMAZING. I've had the opportunity to play with one for a few minutes but I didn't get to spend any real time with it. I'd really like to own it but, like the Memory Lane, it seems a bit one sided to me. Plus the Empress emulates a lot of the same sounds I would expect from the Strymon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamAPHC

You didn't notice much of a difference in sound quality?

The Diamond was easily the warmest sounding of them all but it was the least usable for my taste. The Memory Lane 2 has a dotted eighth and some other features that seem more intriguing but I think I'll stick with the Empress for a while.

EDIT: I should add that the Echolution has a lot of analog qualities about it and has pretty brilliant sound too. If it wasn't so noisy this guy would be on my board for a LONG time. Even without having presets, it's so easy and sounds so good. I've heard you can send it back to the factory for a looper mod for $20.

AdamAPHC · 12-13-2010, 09:49 AM

I ask because I've had my eye on a Memory Lane for a while. I don't necessarily care about presets or the dotted eighth setting (I can tap that in if I really need to), I don't really need anything more than what it can offer, but I still am debating if it's worth it.

**tenwatt** · 12-13-2010, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamAPHC

I ask because I've had my eye on a Memory Lane for a while. I don't necessarily care about presets or the dotted eighth setting (I can tap that in if I really need to), I don't really need anything more than what it can offer, but I still am debating if it's worth it.

It does what it's supposed to do very well. I just feel that it's extremely over price for what it does. If I'm going to pay that much for a quality delay I need it to suit all my delay needs and suit them well.

**tenwatt** · 12-14-2010, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibanez_dude

Cool and informative reviews, thanks for posting

Yeh, I agree with your assessment of the Timefactor. It is VERY clean, it's not really warm at all. The preset thing is annoying, but when you realize that another 3 button switch gives you access to 6 commands at once, it makes it worth buying. I have Preset 1, Preset 2, Bank Up, Bank Down, Infinite Repeats, and Tap Tempo always available to me. I liked the audio quality of the Nova Delay very slightly better over the Timefactor, but the preset thing (plus true dual delays) won the debate for me. I also know that I haven't explored the abilities of the timefactor to its full extent, it's got a ton of really cool stuff, and I'm not looking for a warm delay, and so I love mine

Yeah, I find myself missing mine more with every passing day. The true stereo and dual delays are a feature that is unique to this pedal over the others in the review. The M9 does it but nowhere near as well as the Timefactor.

**tenwatt** · 01-03-2011, 07:17 AM

Over the Christmas break I was able to pick up another Timefactor. None of these pedals really compare to the vast capabilities of this pedal. It's so easy to use too. You CAN get some SLIGHTLY better sounds from the pedals listed above but it's not so noticeable that it blows the Eventide out of the water. The Eventide is a GREAT sounding delay and has MANY more options than any other delay I've ever messed with.

Having the Eventide before these other delays spoiled me with options. If I would have started with an Empress and never played an Eventide I would have been completely satisfied. But knowing what the Eventide has to offer...playing anything else feels like you're going backwards.

ibanez_dude · 01-03-2011, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tenwatt

Over the Christmas break I was able to pick up another Timefactor. None of these pedals really compare to the vast capabilities of this pedal. It's so easy to use too. You CAN get some SLIGHTLY better sounds from the pedals listed above but it's not so noticeable that it blows the Eventide out of the water. The Eventide is a GREAT sounding delay and has MANY more options than any other delay I've ever messed with.

Having the Eventide before these other delays spoiled me with options. If I would have started with an Empress and never played an Eventide I would have been completely satisfied. But knowing what the Eventide has to offer...playing anything else feels like you're going backwards.

hehe, yeh, that's what got me hooked...