View other reviews for this product:
Fireguy8402 « Warmer Digital Delay »
Published on 12/23/11 at 07:47The Digital Delay DD-5 is a discontinued delay from Boss. This delay has a four knob design like the DD-3, but packs a lot more features into the pedal. The pedal has an Effect Level knob that adjusts the amount of delay that is mixed with the dry tone, a Feedback knob that adjust the number of repeats, a Delay Time knob that adjusts the amount of time between repeats, and a Mode knob that adjusts between the pedal modes. Mode One is a short delay with a range of 1 to 50 ms. Mode Two is a medium delay with a range of 50 ms to 200ms. Mode Three is a longer delay with a range of 200 ms to 800ms. Mode Four is a long delay with a range of 800-2000ms. Mode Five, the Hold mode, is a little different, it allows you to hold a delay (up to 2 seconds) and then play over it like a sampler. Mode Six is Reverse and makes it sound like what you are playing is reversed. Mode Seven ED allows you to output the effected sound and direct sound separately. Mode Eight is quarter notes, Mode Nine is dotted eight notes, Mode Ten is regular eight notes, and Mode Eleven is triplets. The pedal can be powered by 9 volt batter or external AC adapter. Dimensions of the pedal are Boss’s typical 2.4" x 5.1" x 2.9" and it weighs about a pound. This pedal has a single input and stereo outputs as well as a jack for tap tempo.
UTILIZATION
These pedals can take serious abuse from the road and rarely give problems, and the DD-5 is no exception. It is a very reliable pedal and I’ve never heard any complaints in the build of the pedal or quality control. The Mode knob has a solid click feel between settings. It’s a little difficult to remember all the settings, but having only one mode knob makes this easy. All the additional knobs do the same thing no matter what mode you are in, unlike the Line 6 DL-4. The housing and jacks are metal and will deal with life on the road. Including a direct out allows the player to use two amps to get that true full stereo delay and is a great addition from Boss. Tap tempo helps keep the delays in perfect time with the song rhythm.
SOUND QUALITY
This pedal is not true bypass, but the buffers on these Boss delays are very good. Being a digital delay, you are basically getting out what you put into this pedal, and that’s what you expect. Overall though I feel this pedal is a little warmer sounding on the repeats than the DD-3. The delays are very clean and crisp and sound very good. The inclusion of tap tempo really helps if you use your delay for rhythmic playing instead of a basic ambience. Being able to choose between rhythmic delays in Modes 8 through 11 really builds on that. This would be a great sounding and functioning pedal for someone who plays in the style of “The Edge” or contemporary Christian music.
OVERALL OPINION
Overall I really like this pedal a lot better than the standard Boss DD-3. It may be my exact pedal, but when comparing the two, the DD-5 sounds warmer and more natural. The DD-5 boasts a lot more modes and becomes much more useful with its delays and tap tempo option. This pedal has been discontinued for some reason, so you’ll have to pick one up on the used market. When picking between a used DD-5 and a used or new DD-3 I would go ahead and pick up the DD-5. Being a Boss I’d have no worries about the used pedal being reliable, and not only will you get a slightly better sounding delay, there are a few more useful features to boot.
UTILIZATION
These pedals can take serious abuse from the road and rarely give problems, and the DD-5 is no exception. It is a very reliable pedal and I’ve never heard any complaints in the build of the pedal or quality control. The Mode knob has a solid click feel between settings. It’s a little difficult to remember all the settings, but having only one mode knob makes this easy. All the additional knobs do the same thing no matter what mode you are in, unlike the Line 6 DL-4. The housing and jacks are metal and will deal with life on the road. Including a direct out allows the player to use two amps to get that true full stereo delay and is a great addition from Boss. Tap tempo helps keep the delays in perfect time with the song rhythm.
SOUND QUALITY
This pedal is not true bypass, but the buffers on these Boss delays are very good. Being a digital delay, you are basically getting out what you put into this pedal, and that’s what you expect. Overall though I feel this pedal is a little warmer sounding on the repeats than the DD-3. The delays are very clean and crisp and sound very good. The inclusion of tap tempo really helps if you use your delay for rhythmic playing instead of a basic ambience. Being able to choose between rhythmic delays in Modes 8 through 11 really builds on that. This would be a great sounding and functioning pedal for someone who plays in the style of “The Edge” or contemporary Christian music.
OVERALL OPINION
Overall I really like this pedal a lot better than the standard Boss DD-3. It may be my exact pedal, but when comparing the two, the DD-5 sounds warmer and more natural. The DD-5 boasts a lot more modes and becomes much more useful with its delays and tap tempo option. This pedal has been discontinued for some reason, so you’ll have to pick one up on the used market. When picking between a used DD-5 and a used or new DD-3 I would go ahead and pick up the DD-5. Being a Boss I’d have no worries about the used pedal being reliable, and not only will you get a slightly better sounding delay, there are a few more useful features to boot.