The Anasound Utopia Deluxe is a limited-edition delay pedal from French maker Anasounds, an upgraded version of the company's warm, analog-voiced Utopia1. Where the original Utopia was a single-chip PT2399 delay calibrated for echoes up to 400ms, the Deluxe is a ground-up redesign of that circuit with a new voicing, two PT2399 chips, tap tempo, a Tone control, a switchable preamp and a Bliss modulation knob123. It launched in December 2023 alongside its darker sibling, the Dystopia4.
Anasounds describes the redesign as delivering "a brand new voicing for an even more musical delay"1. The two PT2399 chips give it 800ms of clean delay and 1000ms of dirty delay, with the Time control spanning 80ms to 1000ms24.
An analog-voiced PT2399 delay with a switchable preamp
The PT2399 is the delay chip at the heart of the whole Utopia line: Anasounds used it in the original Utopia, and Pedal of the Day notes that "the PT2399 chip from the original Utopia was the starting point" for the Deluxe, "but the way that part is being used has been redesigned"7. The Deluxe doubles the chip count to two, which is where its longer delay times come from2.
The standout circuit feature is the preamp. Pedal of the Day identifies it as "the Echoplex EP-3-inspired and switchable Preamp section"7. A three-way switch sets how it behaves:
| Preamp switch position | What it does |
|---|---|
| Left | Preamp fully bypassed, even when the delay is active1 |
| Middle | Preamp activates along with the delay1 |
| Right | Preamp always on, even without the delay1 |
A separate Preamp Level control sets how much of that warming effect you get4. Because the preamp can run independently of the delay, the pedal can double as an always-on EP-3-style boost in the middle of your chain.
The controls
The control set covers the delay basics plus the preamp and modulation:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Mix | Sets the level of the repeats against your dry signal4 |
| Feedback | Number of repeats, up to self-oscillation at maximum3 |
| Time | Delay time, 80ms to 1000ms4 |
| Tone | EQ of the repeats, brighter or darker15 |
| Preamp switch | Off / On with delay / Always on1 |
| Preamp Level | Amount of preamp warming4 |
| Bliss | Modulation, three types by knob position5 |
The Feedback control follows analog-delay convention: at minimum you get a single repeat, and at maximum the pedal will self-oscillate, a behavior Anasounds highlights across the Utopia line3.
Bliss: three kinds of modulation
The Bliss knob is the Deluxe's modulation control, and it works by zones rather than separate depth and rate knobs. Delicious Audio describes it as adding "three different types of modulation depending on the knob's position"5:
The Utopia Dlx manual names these three sections TAPE, CHORUS and VIBRATO, with the TAPE section offering "a tape-echo style modulation"6. Pedal of the Day notes that the knob "simultaneously affects the modulation type, the depth and the rate," so each preset is a curated combination rather than a raw starting point7.
Tap tempo and bypass
Tap tempo was a long time coming. Guitar Pedal X reports that it "took Anasounds' engineers 3 years to perfect" tap tempo for an analog-voiced PT2399 delay2, and Delicious Audio says the circuit "was designed from the ground up to feature Tap Tempo functionality"5. The pedal carries two footswitches, Bypass and Tap Tempo, with three subdivisions available: eighth, quarter and dotted eighth14.
On bypass, the pedal ships in True Bypass, which stops the delay tails when you switch off. Players who want the repeats to fade out naturally can switch to a Tails mode, where the bypass becomes buffered. The change is made by holding the Bypass footswitch while reconnecting power, until the left LED flashes three times6.
In Tails mode the pedal is no longer true bypass: it becomes a buffered bypass, so it stays in your signal path when off6.
How it differs from the original Utopia and the Dystopia
The original Utopia was calibrated for echoes from 0 to 400ms, with a "more" control extending it to 600ms, and its external controls were delay, mix, modulation and repeat8. The Deluxe extends the range to 1000ms, adds tap tempo, the Tone control, the preamp and the Bliss knob, and revoices the whole circuit12.
The Dystopia is the Deluxe's mirror image. The Utopia Dlx manual describes the Deluxe as "the Dystopia's angelic twin, with the same traditional settings"6. Where the Utopia Deluxe is out of stock5, players comparing the two will find the Dystopia page linked here for its own controls and voicing.
In 2025 Anasounds released the Utopia MK2, a compact version that "carries the spirit of the original version while integrating some of the improvements introduced with the" Deluxe, but without tap tempo or the preamp, and with medium delay times up to about 400ms3.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day reviewed the pedal in February 2024 and found it a clear step forward:
"It is a delay with a musical and easy-to-play voicing that also has many exciting tricks up its sleeve7."
The reviewer's overall verdict was that "this one keeps building and building on that original design, improving it in every aspect along the way" compared to the original Utopia7.
Delicious Audio profiled it the same week as a limited-edition upgrade, highlighting the Bliss control and the ground-up tap tempo design5. On That Pedal Show, reviewing the original Utopia in 2019, the presenters called it "a delay it is a delight isn't they call it an analogue tape echo"9.
Videos
AndyDemos
Jack Gardiner
Pedal of the Day
News
Questions
What is the delay time range of the Anasound Utopia Deluxe?
The Utopia Deluxe runs on two PT2399 chips, which give it 800ms of clean delay and up to 1000ms of dirty delay. Its Time control spans 80ms to 1000ms. That is well beyond the original Utopia, which was calibrated for echoes from 0 to 400ms and could reach 600ms.
Does the Utopia Deluxe have tap tempo?
Yes. The pedal has a dedicated Tap Tempo footswitch with subdivisions of eighth, quarter and dotted eighth. Anasounds says it took its engineers three years to perfect tap tempo for an analog-voiced PT2399 delay, and the circuit was designed from the ground up around the feature.
How does the Utopia Deluxe differ from the original Utopia?
It is a ground-up redesign of the original Utopia circuit with a new voicing, two PT2399 chips instead of one, tap tempo with subdivisions, a Tone control for the repeats, a switchable Echoplex EP-3-inspired preamp and the Bliss modulation knob. Delay time extends to 1000ms versus the original's 400ms calibration.
Is the Anasound Utopia Deluxe a limited edition?
Yes. Delicious Audio described the Utopia Deluxe as a limited edition when it profiled the pedal in February 2024, and it launched in December 2023 alongside the limited-edition Dystopia, which was orderable only from December 1 to 17, 2023.
Does the Utopia Deluxe keep delay tails when bypassed?
It ships in True Bypass, which cuts the delay tails when you switch it off. You can switch it to a Tails mode where the bypass becomes buffered, by holding the Bypass footswitch while reconnecting power until the left LED flashes three times.
Sources (9)
- Utopia Deluxe, Anasounds (anasounds.com), 2026-10-13
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2023-12-01
- utopia mk2, Anasounds, 2025-09-11
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-09-11
- Anasound Utopia Deluxe Delay, Delicious Audio, 2024-02-21
- Utopia Dlx, Anasounds, 2023-11-15
- Anasounds Utopia Deluxe Echo Delay, Pedal of the Day, 2024-02-21
- utopia | Anasounds, Anasounds, 2021-02-04
- Crazy Tube Circuits Falcon, NRG Humper 4558, Thorpy Deep Oggin, Anasounds Utopia, That Pedal Show (YouTube), 2019-03-12
