Collision Devices Black Hole Symmetry

The Collision Devices Black Hole Symmetry is a three-in-one stompbox combining a modulated delay, a pitch-shifted reverb and a destructive fuzz¹. Collision Devices, a French pedal builder, describes it as a "Modulated Delay / Pitch Shifted Reverb / Destruction Fuzz pedal" created "to put a black hole in a box"²³. Each of the three sections has its own footswitch, so you can run the delay, reverb and fuzz alone or stacked into one signal⁴.

The maker says the pedal ranges "from sweet ambient effects to aggressive wall of sounds"², and it found an audience quickly: Pedal of the Day called it "one of the most talked about effects units from the last couple of years," noting it had "found its way onto pedalboards from all types of genres across the globe"⁵.

Ergosphere, Event Horizon and Singularity

The pedal is organized into three sections named after the anatomy of a black hole: the Ergosphere, the Event Horizon and the Singularity⁷.

Ergosphere (modulated delay). A modulation delay based on the PT2399 chip, which Collision Devices chose "to have a warm echo"⁷. The echo signal is modulated by two oscillators, and the repeats can be pitch-shifted⁴. Pedal of the Day described it as the section that "starts things off" with its modulation delay effect⁸.

Event Horizon (pitch-shifted reverb). A long "space reverb" based on the FV-1 DSP chip that "harmonizes the reverb signal with a pitch shifter"⁷¹. Pedal of the Day found that "this spatial effect modifies the pitch while adding in a high-pitched note, producing deep, cavernous echoes"⁸.

Singularity (destruction fuzz). A single-knob fuzz section. Pedal of the Day wrote that it "ramps this pedal into high gear, producing a destructive fuzz signal"⁸, and Guitar.com reported that "engaging the Singularity footswitch unleashes an uncompromising, destructive fuzz"¹. Its one control, Disintegrate, is a volume setting for the fuzz, and Delicious Audio noted it "allows you to raise the overall volume by a lot"⁴.

The controls and footswitches

Three footswitches sit along the front of the pedal: the left activates the delay, the center the reverb, and the right the fuzz⁴. The knobs break down by section:

Player Corey Stroffolino, featured on Collision Devices' own site, summed up the experience of dialing it in:

Power and connections

The Black Hole Symmetry runs on +9V DC with a negative center and draws up to 250 mA⁷. There is no battery option, and Collision Devices recommends an isolated power supply for all its pedals; no power supply is included⁷⁶. At 250 mA, it needs more current than a simple daisy chain typically delivers comfortably, so plan on a supply with isolated outputs.

Versions, size and finish

Collision Devices lists the standard version at 186 x 119 x 56 mm and 250 g⁷. The limited White edition is listed smaller, at 119 x 116 x 56 mm³; the maker's pages give both figures without reconciling them, so confirm the size of the specific finish you are looking at. Over its run the pedal has appeared in several finishes, including Mirror Polished, White, Pink and a "Darker than ever" version¹⁰, with Standard Black and White limited editions offered through the maker's shop²³. Gearnews praised the look, writing that "its minimal design means you aren't getting bombarded with over-the-top graphics and bright logos"¹¹.

Each pedal is designed, assembled, tested and numbered by hand in the Collision Devices workshop near Angers, France, and carries a lifetime warranty⁷³.

Where it came from and what reviewers said

Guitar.com covered the launch, describing the Black Hole Symmetry as the pedal with which "French pedal builder Collision Devices has announced itself," a three-in-one stompbox whose effects "can be engaged individually or combined to produce deep, spacey tones"¹. Pre-orders at launch were priced at €299¹.

Delicious Audio's 2023 write-up detailed the two-oscillator modulation of the delay and the Disintegrate knob's large volume lift, and included the pedal in its Best Pedals for Shoegaze and Ambient Music coverage⁴. The pedal also placed 11th with 2 points in Delicious Audio's Best Guitar Pedals of 2020 reader poll¹². Pedal of the Day's verdict has held up over time: reviewing another Collision Devices pedal in 2025, the reviewer wrote that of the Black Hole Symmetry, "to this day it remains one of my favorite pedals ever"¹³.

For players comparing it against single-purpose boxes, the Ergosphere covers delay pedal territory, the Event Horizon handles reverb with a pitch-shift twist, and the Singularity sits at the extreme end of fuzz, all switchable independently in one enclosure⁸¹.

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