Boss RV-500 vs Strymon Big Sky - Comparing the main reverb types
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- čas přidán 11. 11. 2017
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This is sort of a blind listening test, where I have dialed up the most commonly used Reverb types, for a direct comparison of these two awesome pedals. - Hudba
If you gig every weekend like I do either one of these pedals will do. I feel partial to boss because 20+ years of gigs and owning boss pedals never had any failures. I've had Boss RV3 and RV5 ,DD3,DD5,DD7,OD3,SD1,TU2,TU3, they never failed me and they sound good! thats given that sound is subjective.... and at the end of the day/evening gigs,the guys that are half drunk inside the pubs/clubs don't give a damn what your gear is.
Just get something that works for the band your in and have a good time....
The Boss for the price and dual reverbs.
I very much appreciate this demo between the two reverb pedals. I have also considered the Ventris by Sound Audio. Any take on that from your or the subscribers? I'm a weekend warrior player if that helps. I already own the BlueSky and Flint and a DD20, but love the reverb qualities shown in your video on the BigSky and the RV500. Thanks
I wasn't trying to guess which was which, rather decided which I liked better.
In all but one case I chose the RV-500.
The strymon sounds better BUT if you dial out some highs the boss can actually sound very syrupy and much more natural. The thing the Boss excels at is the assigns. You can get a dual footswitch and go crazy with assigns and get some really excellent, novel, dynamic things happening that I haven’t seen anywhere else.
The Strymon has presets that lure you in more than the Boss, but I have the Boss and I say without hesitation that the presets don’t do it justice. Boss needs to wake up to the fact that a lot of guitar players judge reverb pedals by the presets, unfortunately.
Both are great, but its clear that BigSky is much more organic! Great review dude! Thanks!
The Reverb Tails on the Strymon are Smoother as they fade-to-silence, but I am sure you can Tweak them on the Boss. I own a Big Sky & DD-500 . . . and I Love them both. These days, we are Blessed with So many Choices & Options and ( mostly all ) are Really Great Sounding. On/Off Click-switches on the Boss are Silent, Way Smoother and more Accurate vs. the Strymon.
I listened to this with a good set of monitoring headphones. I really wanted the Boss to win, because of the price, and I already have a DD-500 on my board. But it was the Strymon that won for me all but one or two times in your video. Thank you for putting this together. I'm closer to a final decision.
So much in the same boat. Got the DD 500 to get away from the H9 a bit, and really wanted a tweakable reverb, was sure i could pick out too hifi digital Big Sky reverbs (as they are in my head) but liked every example better. Already own a blue sky so my search ends here for now. Onto watchin more md500 videos
I like the reverb more on the BigSky but noticable like the punch preservation of the dry signal on the Boss every single time.
Great idea not telling us which is which ! I nearly each time prefer the strymon without knowing so my choice is made. Thanks for the help. I'll check your channel.
Did you try to match the settings on both units, or just went ahead without much fine-tuning? Sounds to me, Boss is inherently brighter/have way more reflection in its sound than the Strymon. But I think, given that its supposed to be a workhorse reverb, it's easily tweakable away from that sound.
Strymon was the clear winner on all of them to me. I was able to pick them out pretty easily in the blind test. Thanks for posting! Saved me money not having to try out the RV-500 for myself to try :)
Yeap. I agree with that. I picked Strymon on all settings w/o even knowing it.
Not really taking into consideration that the Boss is demoed on an un-tweaked setting. The Strymon is already factory set to a sweet spot that you CANNOT change.
Got all of them right. I preferred the boss in every setting except the shimmer.
The space echo kicks ass. Plus having dual reverbs make the boss a no brainer.
natas nnellaf exactly! Who wouldn't want two reverbs at the same time? For me, it's down to either the Boss RV-500 or Source Audio Ventris, both double reverbs. I've already played the ventris and it sounds amazing! It takes up hardly any space. I was honestly shocked at how much it had in such a small footprint (especially with their free editor software.) Now I just have to try out the Boss and see how it compares...Hopefully I'll get it tomorrow, I've been trying out a pedal rental service (Pedal Genie.)
This makes me want to get a Strymon Big Sky. Almost all of the my preferred ones were from it. Especially the shimmer was so much better.
Depends on what you’re doing, really. If you work in a studioesque environment a lot where you’ll be heard in detail under a microscope, the strymon is where it’s at.
However, if you’re a guy like me who plays out 4+ nights a week with a band and the audience can barely hear the difference between the drives you use, the boss will do the job tenfold. I’ve been using similar “megapedals” from boss (dd20 etc) for more than 10 years and they’ve NEVER failed me. It’s almost an anomaly at this point. I trust them so much that I even went with their switching system, which has been on frickin point. Boss might not be the most exciting pedals ever made but they do the trick for years after many others have failed.
very true my friend,live gig is where its at,its where the rubber meets the road...
Yeah man, absolutely
What $49 Behringer has the options the Boss has?
Amen!
Audiophiles, listening to CZcams audio. Strokes chin. Fgaark!
question- I just picked up an RV500. Is there a setting that needs changed if you want to run it in an effects loop as opposed to in front of the amp? I did not see the answer to this important question in the manual.
no, just plug it in.
Nice demo.i like it when I hear the effects much more than the talking..there are many demos with way to much talking..Very good chops and tone on guitar which helps me focus on the effects,.keep up the good work.
On the fence btw the Boss and the ventris. Anyone have both? I feel the boss can do more but people shy from it because it’s a Boss
I have both for different reasons... BigSky for end-of-chain global reverb that I use after summing parellel pedal chains into looper... RV-500 for dual reverbs and other functionality inside the parellel chains...
I was able to tell which was wich rather easily every time. The Boss has some sort of grain in a couple of settings, which the Strymon doesn't. The Strymon is a bit fuller or warmer in this demo. At least in direct comparison parameter for parameter. I wonder if i would be able to tell the difference as easily, if the Boss was tuned to replicate that warmer tone.
Not really taking into consideration that the Boss is demoed on an un-tweaked setting. The Strymon is already factory set to a sweet spot that you CANNOT change.
Traduzir
Have them both, Boss for the win.
I really hate that the Strymon sounds so good bc i aint got 500 to drop on a pedal rn 😂
Thank you, James! Strymon is my fav (listened on smartphone speaker).
andivax in my country we have a saying “Boss is for the boss, strymon is for when you have hymen”.
Don’t be a lil bitch!
imho, both are great :D , some parameter combinations on one beats the same on the other and back, if I had all the funds, I'd buy both and combine them for experiments ;)
Thanks for making this video, decided to take the strymon
Good job man! Thumbs up
The boss sounded much brighter in the trail. Almost as if it was crunching up. Don’t know if he was just making it brother than the big sky
I could always guess which was which. I wish he had turned down the hi damping on the boss a little more so they were a little more even. The boss sounded consistently more tinny and brittle in the high end which I think could have been evened out for a fairer comparison in terms of comparing the character of the reflections, density, rather than one distracting factor
Agreed. Way too much high end on the Boss. I assume you can dial it back quite a lot.
strymon for the win. also the song chan chan from buena vista social club :D
The Boss has always been in the creation of yr own sounds.
I like the more natural sound of the Boss and the price difference is a no brainer
Boss sounds much brighter on certain settings. Tone control fixes that easily. I just feel like I’m over Strymon on everything....Big Sky/Blue Sky are like an overused effect that you recognize instantly.
I have a Blue Sky. I've tried everything to like this pedal, I can never get it to sit with my dry guitar sound, I end up turning it down more and more until you can't even hear the effect so I just never turn it on. I'll end up selling it at some point, but I have no idea what I'll replace it with. I'm starting to think I may have to go with something like a Lexicon MX300 and put it in the effects loop of my amp.
I think if you are just buying a high end reverb pedal, get the Big Sky. If you are also getting the high end delay pedal, then a little tera echo from a DD-500 attached to the clarity of RV-500 sounds better, and definitely is clearer with less tone loss and EQ that the Strymon adds.
The Strymon shimmer sounds artificial to me, so given the extra features I'll go for the Boss
Thing is, the bigsky has 12 usable reverb settings whereas the boss only has ones that you'd use a couple times then get sick of.
ok sure
MrBC1959 completely agree....you can hear Strymon Mobius/Big Sky from a mile away. Its so smooth and perfect, it sounds like a plugin TBH. Just not for me. I mean, if you’re “Explosions in the Sky”, go for it.
I give Boss credit, this is a tough market to compete in. I don’t love the RV-500, but it has a more natural tone for me. Same when comparing Mobius to MD-500.
If I didn’t already have every Eventide pedal and a few Strymon, I would definitely choose these at $350.
On the first one, the boss kinda had a hiss like after effect lingering noise on it
Can probably turn the tone down gfi specular is the way to go. $250
LoftOfTheUniverse
Not hiss, it’s static from main power cables crossing inclose proximity of single coils of the guitar lead, and the power being drawn from same source as the other pedal/amp which are not isolated within or at least using ferrite clips on each power lead...
was shocked how more natural spring sounded in Boss version of effect
Have a Big Sky but I honestly hate the UI..... Looking to replace it with an Empress or the Boss
why is that?
The Boss you need to tweak to get sounding its best, unlike the Big Sky which has its presets immaculately dialled in. In particular, I like how the Plate settings go from subtle to epic space ambience as you move up through the presets -- every shade of Plate available to you right out of the box, ready to go...just divine!
Forget the reverbs...what kind of guitar is that? It sounds great. Are the pickups stock?
That little beauty is my Schecter Custom Shop
I picked the Strymon on every examples as it has that extra sparkle and space sound. Its unique to every other reverb pedal.
But any emergency (broken Amp) you can go direct to the mixer (cab filter) it sounds amazing! that’s why the strymon is the best!
I think I will pick up a Strymon Big Sky, but I think the Specular Tempus has the best Shimmer
nice vid jim
Strymon. I was curious about the new boss pedal but I think I’ll just stick with my big sky.
Both are great
Thank you!
I think the boss is wat more user friendly. I’ve had both and I like the box a lot more!! The big sky is just way more cosmetology appealing to me hahah
Love RV500❤
They sound equal to me. Boss is much cheaper. Also, very importantly, you can use two effects at once on the Boss, either in serial or parallel.
because that is what weve always been missing right? to stack two reverbs! very important...not.
@@MrDschiesus but it has trails since it can run 2 presets at once.
@@MrDschiesus I can sense you are the type of dude that only plays blues and only uses spring reverb. If that's the case why even bother watching the video? If not you will know all the possibilities that series/parallel reverb can offer
@@thekramer1097 well.... good example of how assumptions can be misssleading :) i own a ventris, so there is that. however i dont use the dualreverb too often. i mainly got it because it does sound good and has stereo in and out for my synths. having a second processor in a delay for me makes way more sense.
The boss is about 50$ more than the strymon
Cool guitar
I swear by strymon.
Ill have to say that dual reverb is appealing. Im going to have to try the boss.
id check the ventris
I only a Ventris dual reverb.
It's pretty good but the big sky is leaps and bounds superior. (Just my opinion.)
You can do 4 reverbs if you do two simultaneous duals on the Boss.
Hi, wooo, i'm so surprised, i was planning to buy a boss rv500, but even on youtube the sound quality is so so so much better on the Strymon, that i realised the boss is really not the one i want to play with on stage situation with public and even less in the alone situation to find inspiration. I need a reverb machine to be as realistic as possible, not loosing itself in a fake and incomprehensible burst of high-pitched.
You can fine tune anyone of the boss settings to equal the strymon tone
I got every single one right. The RV-500 has some lacking character going on with it that just don't seem to be as clear as the bigsky. I have both. However both are enjoyable to play for different applications.
I solved the problem and bought the collider
Hmmm... Both sound good.
Perfect Comment! And you're exactly right
I Agree Bill Hayes. They are All Great.
Boss for me.
Through my iPhone headphones the Strymon was the only one that sounded good here. The boss sounded awful but it could be my headphones.. Great video demonstration thanks :) I also did the blind test so wasn't bias.
The Strymon won every one for me and I️t wasn’t even close honestly. I️t just has a warmer, better sound. The Boss sounds artificial and thin and considering its 32 bit I️t sounds noticeably worse than the Big Sky
I have to agree with both of you. Going on this video, the Boss is out of the race for me. On the other hand, i wonder if it can't be tuned. Still looking into the Empress, Eventide, Strymon, Ventris... maybe even Meris.
I felt the opposite, but then I prefer a brighter sound I guess.But I have to question your preference on the Spring specifically. I don't understand anyone preferring the Strymon Spring.
You can just adjust the tone control and it will sound better than the Big Sky.
Before watching exacly wath i was looking for kind of
I'll take the reverb
I really feel like the Boss sounded better in all examples except for possibly against the Big Sky's Magneto sound.
Gfi specular reverb v3. Best reverb absolutely. Strymon second
Boss 100%
I say big sky because the input jacks on the boss rv 500 seem weak. I got one in the mail from pedal genie and the input Jack was all dented in. I have never seen that on a boss pedal ever in my life. I don’t know why they have this input/output jacks sticking so far off the back of head boss 500 series pedals. So yeah if your gonna go boss take it easy on those input outputs. They are a weak link in a boss pedal which is nothing I have ever said about a boss pedal before. They used to be tank built for life. I literally borrowed the RV 500 right when it came out maybe 2-3 months in and it had a dented input man.
Boss Inovation! Wins!!!
People want the Strymon to lose so damn bad. It clearly won - warmer, fuller, more depth. Even all these years later, Strymon still kills.
Strymon the best!!
Definitely the rv500, but ymmv.. tweaking possibilities are both wider and more subtle than on the Strymon. It is really hard to judge the pedals based on these videos. Testers tend to max out the parameters and miss out on the nuances. Based on this video I wouldn't buy either of these pedals.. they both sound harsh - almost like played through an amp with a pre amp tube rattle issue. They are both awesome pedals, but after playing them side by side, I am amazed that anyone would pick Strymon over the Boss...
martinskanal ur annoying as shit
cute name, cat dads
The guitar behind you with the humbuckers probably would of sounded really good, the strydom is probably the best, when those patches are edited down to realistic playing situations.
There is absolutely no use for those dopey long trails in a gig situation.
There is if you're playing ambient / shoegaze / experimental type music. Don't be closed minded, not everyone is playing boring cover songs that 800,000 other people are doing.
@@BrockDavisson Hiya Brock, some of those boring cover songs and instrumentals bought my house more than twice over, best wishes to you, Rick. 🙂👍
@@Wooburnmusic Great but no need for putting down people that do need or use dopey long trails just because you don't do it...
Strymon... done.
Strymon. It’s WAY easier to use and navigate. You don’t even need to read the manual. Want modulation, boom knob on top. Boss-want modulation, start scrolling. And it seems like a lot of you like dual reverb but that’s honestly something that doesn’t Interest me at all. What does is how easy it is to use and how musical it is. Boss sounds fine. But Strymon sounds better. I also wouldn’t be surprised if this guy gets something from BOSS bc the video does seem to have a lean towards BOSS but it could just be his honest opinion and likes the BOSS more.
I wonder which one Bruce Springsteen would get?
The strymon.
Ha ha! Good one!
BOSS WINS
for me all new modern reverbs are very weak to simulate room and spring , the rest is great but going to the way of shimmer is too much
You can tell the boss one from that harsh overly bright super digital sound, Strymon just does it better
Boss has an annoying noise-grain on every single reverb engine. That's a shame cause it's supposed to be more powerful, has more features and cost less, but sounds worse...
Not really taking into consideration that the Boss is demoed on an un-tweaked setting. The Strymon is already factory set to a sweet spot that you CANNOT change.
What are you talking about? The Big Sky is plenty tweakable.
Not compared to the Boss.
Strymon
BOSS IS THE BOSS OF STRYMON
They don't have a dark cave sound like my Behringer RV-600 does. I mean, Chinese wins!
I think I’m the only one in the comments not brainwashed by strymon lol. I like boss more on all of them except one
I think the Neunaber wins....on wait- that's the next vid...
Man I tried the Neunaber immerse v1 and the tails of the reverb sounded really great but it sounded like my guitar was running in parallel with the wet signal.
Boss reverbs & delays just don't cut it for me. They have been left behind by several companies who build units with sweeter & more musical qualities ie., TC, Strymon etc,
If Boss, set up a boutique name keep Boss as the parent company grossly inflate the price of the products under the boutique name it would out sell Strymon and people would have the snob value. The Boss out performs the Strymon on processing power and no doubt tailor ability but you can’t escape the facts. The Boss is better and cheaper. That said the Strymon is excellent it’s just time and technology has moved on Strymon need to get on their A game and build the next generation to regain its crown.
Having owned a RV500 for over a year, I can tell you the Big Sky is way better. For several reasons. Most of the boss reverbs sound like a digital mess. If you try to use it fully wet, it sounds just awful. Tone control can’t fix it. EQ as much as you like, it won’t fix it. Sure the boss may be more powerful, but try and blend in two reverb and you end up in a digital reverb mess. It’s shimmer is awful. It has some unique reverbs, like the Storm but I couldn’t find an actual use for it. I switched to Strymon and couldn’t be happier. Strymon wins easily for me. However, I do love the DD500. Why they couldn’t give us a reverb as good as their delay unit is beyond me. Maybe when they update it, a lot of these things will be fixed.
Boss wins.
boss has more processing power, and with some one that knows its full potential to dial in good presets, would blow the 24 bit strymon out of the water.Plus Strymon fanboys come on here to crap on boss cause well ,they have no lives.
If this didn't clearly show Strymon is better. Some of these people shouldn't be calling themselves musicians lmao