Tim
100%
Short review: this is the best delay Pearl I’ve owned. It’s intimidating at first, but I took 15 to look at the book and after that it was fairly intuitive. This is a keeper.
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Spanning the gamut of known delay possibilities and beyond, the Empress Effects Echosystem could be the ultimate delay-crafting tool. Faithful emulations of classics like digital, tape and analog delays are numerous, as well as Empress’ own take on each of these delay styles.
Try our ‘My Pedal Board’ feature to track what you have on your pedal board now, and those items you wish to add.
Moving beyond the traditional, the vast amount of sonic ground the Empress Effects Echosystem can cover becomes apparent. Check out the ambient modes when you’re feeling chilled out, or perhaps a visit to the multi tap modes for a taste of inspiration.
The Dual Engine functionality allows any 2 of these delays to be used together, routed in either parallel, series, or left/right configurations. In addition to delays, there’s the super-useful reverb combos, which will elevate any guitar part. Oh, and don’t forget Whisky mode, best accompanied by a dram of whatever you’ve got!
Features
Input Impedance 1MΩ
Output Impedance 100Ω
Output Impedance (transformer) 600Ω
Frequency Response (-3dB, dry) 10Hz – 50kHz
Frequency Response (-3dB, wet) 10Hz – 23.4kHz
Total Harmonic Distortion (dry) 0.09%
Total Harmonic Distortion (wet) 0.22%
Dynamic Range (dry) 106.9 dBA
Dynamic Range (wet) 105.5 dBA
Input Headroom (dry) +10.0 dBu
Input Headroom (wet, no pad) +0.5 dBu
Input Headroom (wet, 6dB pad) +5.7 dBu
Input Headroom (wet, 12dB pad) +10.8 dBu
Output Headroom +16.2dBu
Power Input Connector 2.1mm Barrel Connector
Power Input Voltage 9V
Required Current 300mA
Short review: this is the best delay Pearl I’ve owned. It’s intimidating at first, but I took 15 to look at the book and after that it was fairly intuitive. This is a keeper.
This pedal produces exceptional sound quality delay effects BUT the unit’s instruction/owner’s manual is woefully lacking. The unit is in no way intuitive or user friendly and certainly not designed for use in live performance unless it’s controlled via MIDI. As a standalone effect pedal it is confusing to use and program, and requires the user to memorize which color LED and how many LEDs correspond to each preset. Switching between presets is ridiculously cumbersome. Unit also tends to generate dangerous runaway feedback when switching between settings. Looking to return mine – cannot in good conscience recommend this over-priced pedal! $ pedal that arrives without an AC power supply – very disappointing! If you want to spend the hours and keep meticulous notes on your settings this pedal could fit some recording applications – for me not worth the hassle.
Let me start by saying, this thing is deep. I just got it today and I’ve barely cracked the surface. Currently using it for synths/keys, but I’ll certainly throw it in my guitar chain too. I was going to give this pedal 4.5 stars for three reasons, but here are my counterpoints to my initial thoughts.
The first was option paralysis. This shouldn’t matter because this thing is clearly designed to be an all in one delay, hence the name, EchoSystem. It’s an ecosystem of delay. If you don’t want options, don’t get this thing.
The second was navigation, but after reading through just some of the manual, I was already saving presets and reconfiguring some of the “advanced” controls (not calling myself advanced, that’s just what they call it). I really don’t like screens/convoluted menus on my gear, so I can appreciate that. I’d rather just turn knobs and see where they take me.
Lastly, the price. No argument, this thing is expensive. I cringed just slightly when I bought it, but, you get what you pay for. You can run two delays at once. There are 12 modes/42 algorithms and each algorithm has it’s own parameters controlled by thing 1 & 2. The sounds are top shelf, and it’s just a ton of fun. That’s why we do what we do, right? I’m like a salesperson at this point… I don’t mean to be… unless you’re hiring, Empress.
I digress. 5 stars. This thing is awesome and if you’re a pedal/delay nut like myself, I highly recommend you check this thing out. As I learn more, it’ll become such a powerful studio tool, and open up my sound at gigs. Do your research first though! Knobs, as always, has an awesome video on this unit, as do plenty of others.
If you made it this far, you’re probably really cool.
… versatile. Any type of delay that you can think of and many more. You won’t run out of ideas on ways to abuse and tweak and delay your signal in a long time. Well worth the higher price tag if you are looking for a pedal that can do everything and more. Sturdy build and an excellent manual makes this a A+ product.
An excellent pedal for delay aficionados, and it can only get better with subsequent firmware updates.
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