Strymon vs BOSS - Timeline vs DD 500

[@elias4493]

This video is old and I already commented on another comment but just leaving this one in case someone is considering the Timeline solely based on the stereo effect there is: You can achieve this with the DD-500 as well. There’s a setting called modulation type and it’s either single or bi phase. The bi phase gives you the stereo spread effect that the strymon has (and i believe on the timeline you can’t turn it off which is something to keep in mind..) and you can tweak how much spread you want or how fast you want the spread to be.

[@ShaighJosephson]

Got both on my board... Run the DD-500 into the Timeline... Firmware update for DD-500 was a drastic improvement...

[@peterschaefer1665]

The internal mixer in the Timeline is really magical. Dry through with the delays spread out.

[@daverockgtrist]

3:24 to 3:35 was awesome - I love when reviewers are having fun and start creating while doing a gear review. You can tell you're having a blast doing this! Thank you for giving us a detailed and unbiased comparison with truly tasty playing!

[@Funny-bf8xf]

Listening to these with 10 driver IEM's sound amazing.

[@drischord]

I like the more expensive one.

[@drischord]

Just kidding. I like the Boss better. I own both Strymon and Boss products and respect both companies. But to my ears, the DD-500 is better on every setting except "shimmer" vs. "ice." However without fail, commenters always show preference to the more expensive of two products. This thread is no exception.

[@LeonTodd]

Funny isn't it?

[@Lexxo777]

Both great!! Boss was in mono here but it seems like the cleaner pedal, Timeline may have more mojo on certain modes but it's not worth double the price in 2020 tho.

[@Millennial_Mike]

Terraecho and pattern delay are the stand out delays for boss. Also the interface is superb.

[@glennbucc7107]

Strymon has more of an air character. Both are great. For a more modern sound the Strymon is still the way to go. For rock, maybe the Boss.

[@BillDerBerg]

DD500 sounds more quirky i.e. musical and more Rock n Roll. The Strymon sounds like a software modeler... too clinical and polite for me.

[@blizzr.1146]

The dry direct sounds (when pedal on) are very different ! I hear the boss direct sound is more bright and strymon is more mellow. They should be the same?

[@Blackeyedangel]

Great demo, great playing, and I love that you seem neutral regarding these two fantastic pedals. I think price and tweak-ability is going to lead me to Boss, but something about all Strymon pedals seem more melodic to me, they def have a market.

[@LeonTodd]

Glad this helped

[@creedbrooks8258]

I guess it is quite randomly asking but does anyone know a good site to stream new series online?

[@lukalarry7349]

@Creed Brooks Flixportal

[@creedbrooks8258]

@Luka Larry Thanks, I went there and it seems to work :) Appreciate it!!

[@lukalarry7349]

@Creed Brooks no problem :D

[@CoolBreezeMusic7]

I’m hearing a much wider stereo field with the Strymon which is tripping up my analysis. But I love how you logically tweak the settings (hi dampening a must on the boss) thanks!

[@BillDerBerg]

The Boss is chunks of grilled steak the Strymon is strained Gerber baby food

[@ledooni]

Great video again and very tasteful playing with those delays! The Strymon sounds way more 3D to me. It seems to use the stereo panorama more effectively. Never really understood how they do it but whether it‘s delay or reverb, Strymon has always had my favorite tones and this comparison proves that again! :)

[@LeonTodd]

Strymon definitely have a distinct and immediately usable tone. They deserve their reputation.

[@alphanumeric1529]

You need to listen to Eventide then.

[@eliezerrocknaventa3943]

For some reason I think strymon has a noise gate and a pre-programmed fade out on the banks. Boss DD500 is more natural for me

[@kierenmoore3236]

At first, I thought the DD-500 made even the Timeline sound warm(!) ... but they each have a couple of 'good' (warmer digital) settings. The artifacts on one of the TL settings seemed to sound like the drip on a spring reverb emulation, almost ... ?! :P Prefer the Ice (more subtle) to the Shimmer (OTT, organ sound - like an Organizer/harmonizer; I think that would get old, quickly). Just my 2c. Good comparison, cheers.

[@LeonTodd]

The DD500 is a deep dive while the TL has a bit more of a plug and play interface. I bought my TL cheap thinking I'd do some vids then flip it but I'm really liking it.

[@poulwinther]

Great review as always, thanks! The poor Echorec emulation from the Boss simply rules it out in my book but there's some weird out of phase quality to the Strymon. Would love to see you check out the Empress Echosystem though.

[@MintStiles]

The Boss is a bit more organic sounding while the Strymon is a bit too accurate and bright. That said, it seems a bit too much of a headache to figure things out on the boss (the Strymon as well I suppose). These new pedals are all great but they all have a distinctive audience that are the tinkerer type.

[@xdx2653]

good job bro!!tnx for that i think boss adding a lot high end at the sound.timeline is warmer ,but i dont know if worth the 150 euro plus

[@LeonTodd]

The Boss has a tone control to attenuate the high end if needed

[@64north20west]

I've invested in the Pigtronix Ultra Pro and the Eventide. I swore nothing could top those. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Strymon gets the edge (barely) in this comparison. I was wondering if all the DD 500 sounds are in the GT-1000 as they claim. It seems almost impossible (almost). As always, you do an excellent job in your playing and reviews! Thanks for always going the extra mile (or kilometer!). Cheers!

[@JansonHarris]

I have both the GT-1000 and DD-500,Boss states the same algorithm engine is in the GT-1000.You can achieve a lot of the same delay types on the GT-1000 .Of coarse the DD-500 goes far deeper.The GT-1000 has 1 "master delay" witch can be shimmer,reverse,analog,tape,warp,twist,dual,mono,pan,stereo 1 and 2,plus the other 4 "standard" delay blocks.It is all preference my friend,I hope this was helpful.

[@Jayyy_Wav]

Have you tried the Nemesis delay?

[@JansonHarris]

@@Jayyy_Wav yes sir,It rules,but I am selling it with another pedal to get the empress echo machine.This is the only way I would get rid of it haha.I use most of my effects pedals with electric violin and electric cello,occasionally with synth,and bass,and ironically ,rarely with guitar hahah

[@Jayyy_Wav]

Jänson Harris nice. Currently loving the nemesis and Ventris on my board.

[@neilslade]

Tiimeline in STEREO From Strymon support: " Yes, Timeline has a stereo effect added to its outputs in order to create a stereo image with a sense of movement and depth. This is especially nice when using a mono input, but you still want to get a nice stereo image." This is probably from a slight delay offset between the R and L channels. Soundtoys Echoboy plugin also has this capability. DD500 does not appear to have this enhancement, nor is there an adjustment in it''s menu for it.

[@elias4493]

There is!! I know this comment is old but if anyone else is considering timeline just because of the stereo effect, you can achieve this with the DD-500 as well. There’s a setting called modulation type and it’s either single or bi phase. The bi phase gives you the stereo spread effect that the strymon has (and i believe on the timeline you can’t turn it off which is something to keep in mind..) and you can tweak how much spread you want or how fast you want the spread to be.

[@spydercontreras3736]

I own both for live setting the strymon sounds better if you gig

[@dazdaz713]

What pedal is easier to use /user friendly ?

[@MK-tj5bf]

Great demo!

[@floydLmiller]

I appreciate your comprehensive comparison hitting most if not all of the primary concerns. I'm not a fan of the shimmer mode in the Boss (and many other delay pedals). The strymon's ice mode seems like a more musically useful invention but not really a major consideration. Otherwise, for the most part, I wonder how Strymon gets away with such a higher price tag.

[@floydLmiller]

I also wanted to ask about the persist, a.k.a. tails, modes. Strymon manual mentions that they are actually using a recorded version of effect's output to implement their tails and how that incurs some limitations. Are there similar limitations with the Boss DD-500?

[@xdx2653]

btw i can see your smile when u change to timeline lol

[@stevenmgyori3826]

Thanks brother!Appreciate your sharing!

[@guitfiddleblue]

Great comparison/contrast video and demo! I have both the dd-500 and the timeline and like them for different reasons. There are sounds in the timeline that are just pristine and it’s pretty easy to use. Surprisingly, the menus of the 500 don’t bother me and I actually enjoy tinkering with them. In a playing setting, the controls on the top are enough to get you by but it’s also nice to craft your tone further if you want. I can’t say one is BETTER than the other because they are very different, albeit similar, machines.

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

Funny I prefer the modulation of the Boss over the Strymon. BUT for delay the Strymon wins in my book along with Eventide H9 and Free the Tone Flight Timer.

[@alexandertorrente198]

From what I have seen, the general idea is that the timelines digital setting sucks,but it excels in more specialized delays.

[@donniesteadman8522]

Boss never fails. Strymon is good at what they do, but...

[@DigitalSacalait]

Both sound sweet but the Boss sounded like it was in mono and the Strymon in stereo.

[@neilslade]

Neil Slade From Strymon support: " Yes, Timeline has a stereo effect added to its outputs in order to create a stereo image with a sense of movement and depth. This is especially nice when using a mono input, but you still want to get a nice stereo image." This is probably from a slight delay offset between the R and L channels. . DD500 does not appear to have this enhancement, nor is there an adjustment in it''s menu for it.

[@Nightbreed82]

FWIW all DAWs have stereo image plugins that you can apply to achieve the same effect. I plug my pedalboard into my PC and use the stereo imager in Reaper; with headphones it makes a big difference. In a live situation you do not need that. In other words, don't let the fact the Boss pedal doesn't have it built in scare you off....you can easily add that in the recording process.

[@shaner36]

Were these in fx loop or front of amp. Having issues with volume drop when i put boss in fx loop in my markv or jvm

[@XChristianNoirX]

My problem is... I like the Strymon more since it seems to have more width in every demo I've heard, but... The Boss can do half note delays, and the BOSS can. The lowest the Strymon goes is 1/4 subdivision. The BOSS can do 1/1. My delays spend 80% of their lives on 1/2 note. 1/4 is way to busy with my already busy sound.

[@LeonTodd]

I guess you could work around it on the Timeline by tapping half as fast when needed but I get that can be off-putting while trying to play

[@officialpoa3171]

*what CAD MIC is that?*

[@heavymetal11]

Timeline has the "space", like far back....dd500 is right in front... So from here, i preferred the timeline and i had got one. Not too sure if i would love the dd500 if i play it in front of me.

[@ChrissDR]

Nice comparsion! Did you tweak the EQ on DD-500? Have now a DD500, but before that i have a timeline. It was great, but for overdriven sound the DD500 do for me. Yes the strymon has fatter sound, and colour your tone (in good way). DD500 more natural. The factory presets are crap on DD-500. When i compared them at my local store, the DD500 has more thinner sound. So I oredered the DD500 because couldn't believe that it's crap. Use EQ for fatter sound (more Lowgain and lowmid gain). But still have to learn how to cut the freq perfectly. Not an easy boy, i understand that because the factory presets choose the timeline, but with tweaking you can make huge sounds. The most funny thing in the whole 500 series is that, 32kbit and 96khz, but i think the vintage modes (SRV and SDE) are the best on them, which was original had 16 bit sound :D

[@LeonTodd]

The DD-500 reminds me of a rack delay; so many parameters to tweak with a very usable EQ. I don't ever bother with factory presets but the Strymon factory presets, unlike the DD, are actually pretty great.

[@ChrissDR]

Yes! Timeline plug n' play and it's great! I choose the DD500 about the UI. Someone says it's a menu nightmare, but if you learn it's cool. And of course the music you play is the most important part when you choose :)

[@shckltnebay]

@@ChrissDR Not a nightmare but time consuming for sure, not one great sound out of the box imo, sold boss got the TL

[@BB-ft6nd]

I tried the DD-500 and didn't like it, but I adore the MD-500. Some of BOSS's pedals are absolute hits, and the others are meh.

[@BernieBriocon]

Time lines are important always keep to mine with lots of top player's BTW Nice chords 👌

[@DarrenPrice333]

Strymon 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@l3ertuz362]

can't go wrong on both

[@LeonTodd]

That's it :D

[@TheOnlyGuitarFather]

The Boss sounds better by far to me

[@amazingscholar5551]

My situation is unique in that I work for a music store and with my employee discount, I can buy TWO of the DD-500's for the price of one MAP Timeline. IMHO, Strymon stuff has been way over-hyped. The only piece of Strymon stuff I currently own is their Zuma PSU which turned out to be a total TURD when attempting to simply Velcro it underneath either old ("PT") or new ("Classic series")(I have both) Pedaltrain boards. NOT. The IEC connector does not match up on the rear rails like the Voodoo Lab Pedal Powers do. I need it to NOT be mounted in one of those screwed in cages so I can transfer it between several boards with ease...(not even something I considered when buying, but the Zuma is indeed a better, more powerful PSU, the PP has 100mA per output, the Zuma has 500mA, hands down better) PSU, except for the turd way the Zuma would Velcro under a Pedaltrain), so I'll now need to cobble something together underneath the Zuma to Velcro under the Zuma to make it work. (And get this... Strymon telephone support claimed their Zuma would Velcro under a Pedalktrain... how much shit-hype is that???) It seems like the Strymon engineers would have tried their PSU under the Pedaltrain boards (which IMHO are the most popular board out there...). -- This review isn't about PSU's, but I won't be buying anything with Strymon's name on it anytime in the future because of the PSU case engineering turd. IMHO Strymon is all HYPE and masturbatory gear for the gear forums folks who rarely take their shit out of their bedroom. Typical doctor and lawyer gear, like "reliced" guitars and "custom shop" instruments. -- I'm on my way to a BOSS Trifecta, I already own the RV-500. Next will be the DD-500 and MD-500, and to hell with the Strymon gear forum hype. -- My 2 cents...

[@tombenson7113]

Fair call in some sense, but as mentioned the boss is indisputably influenced by the timeline in physical design, wouldn't exist without the other...

[@paulrichart7040]

timeline sounds like a phaser. weirdest delay

[@jemandthemystery]

That’s because they use a kind of phasing algorithm to create their hyped ”stereo”:field effect that many like. After owning it a while though the gimmick wears off and can even be annoying as it cannot be dialled out. The Boss, as a new, unprogrammed unit, sounds fairly generic but that is the WORST it will ever sound as just about anything can be dialled in, including wide stereo panoramas and even dual delays panned L & R. Then there is modulation, extensive EQ shaping etc etc. So, to summarize, demos that only feature the DD-500’s stock presets won’t set the world on fire whereas Strymon have made sure it’s face is madeup before leaving the house. :-) Go check message boards (Gear Page, the DD-500 FB page) for a lot of great user presets, including imitations of other delay boxes. THEN one can appreciate the Boss in a whole new light.

[@darkfrost1901]

Strymon.

[@elderchildren]

I honestly feel like the main difference between the two is that the Boss sounds don't come with a low pass filter, so the highs just aren't rolled off.

[@SleutelbosMusic]

It does, but you have to manually set it. Strymon sounds are pretty curated by default, whereas the Boss is more tweakable but demand more attention from the start.

[@ShreddingFinn]

For the price of a timeline I can get a good dd7 and a half decent quality guitar on top of that, if not another three excellent boss effects, the only thing strumon really has that boss cannot compete with is iridium

[@MotownGuitarJoe]

Love me some Boss, I really do, but Boss cannot touch Strymon on overdrive (Riverside/Sunset).

[@neilslade]

Why does the Boss sound MONO and the Strymon sound STEREO??

[@1_of_4]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@emmanuelsdad1688]

Boss has more bigger sound

[@michael_caz_nyc]

The Boss is Inferior ( and I own the Boss ). No option on DD-500 for Global Tap Tempo. Useless in a live application. I am Selling a Brand New DD-500 for The Timeline.

[@LeonTodd]

Didn't realise that about global tempo. BOSS should really fix that if that's the case.

[@NeonShadowsx]

@@LeonTodd fyi DD-500: How to Set Global Tap Tempo 1. Press [EDIT] - use the [UP/DOWN] arrow to navigate to SYSTEM press [EDIT] - use the [UP/DOWN] arrow to navigate to - TEMP HOLD use the TIME/VALUE KNOB and set to ON. Please see attached document for more details: Specifies whether the tempo (BPM) changes or is preserved when you switch patches. By preserving the tempo, you can also preserve the delay time.

[@jrr832]

@@NeonShadowsx cheers

[@jesterraj]

Sttymon sounds better to me