uaudio

Pre-digital delay emulations are full of quirky character.

Superb warts-and-all retro delay sounds. Great variation and tweakability within each model. Desktop and mobile apps for editing via USB and Bluetooth.

No real time modulation. Power supply not included.

$399

Universal Audio Starlight Echo Station
uaudio.com

5
5
4
4.5

Universal Audio excels at wart-and-all models of vintage audio effects. True to form, their Starlight Echo Station replicates three pre-digital delay effects in all their wonderful wartiness. Its algorithms derive from the tape-based Maestro Echoplex, the bucket-brigade Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man, and the Cooper Time Cube, an obscure effect that generates echoes via (no joke!) a length of rubber hose. There's also a modern digital delay.

Read MoreShow less

Four top speaker-emulators from Mesa/Boogie, Two Notes, Boss, and Universal Audio get the PG review-roundup treatment.

Guitarists have searched for ways to capture big amp tones at low volume since time immemorial, or at least for the last few decades. The quest became more urgent during COVID, as many of us needed to carve out sonic space for remote-schooled kids, telecommuting roommates, and housebound neighbors griping about loud music, not just on evenings and weekends, but 24/7.

Read MoreShow less

Unsurpassed effects, intuitive operation, and a diverse set of speaker emulations elevate this top box to industry standard status.

The three devices reviewed here cover similar territory as Universal Audio's $1,299 OX Amp Top Box. In some cases, the OX influence isn't exactly subtle.

Read MoreShow less