The Anasounds Utopia Dlx is a delay pedal with a built-in preamp and a set of modulation presets, made by the French builder Anasounds. Anasounds describes it as "a delay with a musical, flattering voicing, but with plenty of exciting features", more vintage in character and playable in many contexts1. It is designed as the Dystopia's angelic twin, carrying the same traditional settings (MIX, FDB, TI) as its sibling1, the Anasounds Dystopia, which the maker describes as an analog delay that is noisier and more experimental2.
Controls
The Utopia Dlx carries two footswitches and a compact row of knobs. The left footswitch switches the delay on and off; the right footswitch is the tap tempo1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| TIME | Adjusts the repetition time, from 80 ms to 1 s1 |
| Subdivisions switch | Sets the tap tempo division: middle, quarter note; left, eighth note; right, dotted eighth note1 |
| TONE | Cuts bass turned right, cuts treble turned left; in the middle the pedal sounds like the Utopia mkI1 |
| BLISS | Modulation presets knob, from off through TAPE, CHORUS and VIBRATO1 |
| Preamp potentiometer | Simultaneously adjusts the gain and volume of the preamp before the delay; lights up when the preamp is activated1 |
| Preamp switch | Three positions: left, preamp off; middle, preamp on but off when the delay is deactivated; right, preamp stays on even when the pedal is deactivated1 |
The Bliss modulation presets
The BLISS knob is the pedal's modulation section, arranged as three presets along its travel1:
- TAPE, from 0 to 1/3: a tape-echo style modulation where DEPTH increases and RATE decreases as you turn the knob1
- CHORUS, between 1/3 and 2/3: RATE increases with constant DEPTH1
- VIBRATO, at the top of the travel: a deeper modulation1
- At 0, the modulation is deactivated entirely1
The preset approach is shared with the Dystopia, where Anasounds created presets for each of its four modulation types so the player does not have to navigate menus3.
The preamp
Ahead of the delay sits a preamplifier closely related to Anasounds' Tape Preamp. Anasounds explains the difference: "The circuit is very close to our Tape Preamp, the difference being that there are no JFETs and only clipping diodes", with gentler clipping and a fairly high threshold voltage1. The preamp potentiometer sets both its gain and volume at once, and the three-position switch decides whether it stays in the circuit when the delay is bypassed1.
Bypass and power
The pedal is shipped in True Bypass mode. To switch to Tails mode, where bypass becomes buffered, hold the Bypass footswitch while reconnecting power until the left LED flashes 3 times1.
Power comes from a negative-center 9VDC supply rated at +150 mA1. Anasounds also notes two wiring points: you need to use mono jacks to connect the pedal, and an isolated and filtered power supply is recommended1.
Utopia Dlx and Dystopia
The two pedals came out of the same redesign of the original Anasounds utopia. RockBoard's PedalPedia describes the pair as a reboot of the Utopia delay as two deluxe versions, "The Cleaner Vintage Tape Echo Style Utopia And Dirtier Old Worn Tape" experimental Dystopia4. The Dystopia shares the Utopia Dlx's true or buffered bypass option5 and its single-knob modulation presets3, but its character is the dirtier, more experimental of the two2.
Videos
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Questions
What is the delay time range of the Anasounds Utopia Dlx?
The TIME knob adjusts the repetition time from 80 ms to 1 second. For locking the delay to a song, the Subdivisions switch sets the tap tempo against the delay time: quarter note in the middle, eighth note on the left, and dotted eighth note on the right.
Is the Utopia Dlx true bypass?
Yes, the pedal ships in True Bypass mode. It can be switched to Tails mode, where bypass becomes buffered and repeats are allowed to spill over. The change is made by holding the Bypass footswitch while reconnecting power until the left LED flashes three times.
How is the Utopia Dlx different from the Dystopia?
Anasounds describes the Utopia Deluxe as the Dystopia's angelic twin: the same traditional settings, but a cleaner, more vintage-voiced delay. The Dystopia is the noisier, more experimental sibling, an analog-voiced delay with four types of modulation presets on a single knob.
What does the preamp switch do on the Utopia Dlx?
It is a three-position switch. On the left, the preamp is off. In the middle, the preamp is on but turns off when the delay is deactivated. On the right, the preamp stays on even when the pedal is bypassed, so it keeps shaping your clean tone.
What power supply does the Utopia Dlx need?
A negative-center 9VDC power supply rated at 150 mA. The pedal also needs mono jacks to connect, and Anasounds recommends an isolated and filtered supply.
What does the Tone knob do on the Utopia Dlx?
The small TONE potentiometer cuts the bass when turned to the right and cuts the treble when turned to the left. Set in the middle, the pedal sounds just like the Utopia mkI.
Sources (5)
- Utopia Dlx, Anasounds, 2023-11-15
- Dystopia, Anasounds, 2023-12-20
- Dystopia, Anasounds, 2023-12-18
- Dystopia by Anasounds, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Utopia Series, Anasounds, 2023-12-05
