Echo Fix EF-X3

The Echo Fix EF-X3 is a table-top tape echo unit that puts three effects in one box: a three-head tape delay, an analog BBD chorus, and an analog spring reverb. Echo Fix describes it as the latest offering in its line of tape delays, and the company says the EF-X3 boasts a 100% analog signal path¹. It is built in Australia and weighs 12 kg, so it is a studio or table-top machine in the tradition of the classic reel-style echo units, not a pedalboard pedal¹.

Where a digital delay samples and replays your signal, the EF-X3 records it onto a loop of tape and plays it back from physical playback heads. Echo Fix says of the result: "Used as an effect they make everything sound better", and the unit also does what classic tape echoes do best: "turn up the echo volume, dial in some feedback and watch as our unit self-oscillates into life and becomes an instrument"¹. That self-oscillation, where repeats build on themselves into swelling loops, is the behavior tape echo players prize and most digital delays deliberately avoid.

What the EF-X3 does: tape echo, BBD chorus and spring reverb

The EF-X3 combines three effect blocks. The core is the tape echo, with three playback heads and a tape loop. Alongside it sit an analog BBD chorus, with rate and depth controls, and an analog spring reverb¹. BBD (bucket-brigade device) chorus is the same analog chip technology used in vintage chorus pedals, where the signal is passed along a chain of capacitors to create the modulated, doubling character players associate with chorus.

The chorus and reverb can be used together with the echo, and the rear panel includes a direct WET output for the reverb and chorus signals, so those effects can be routed separately from the tape echo path⁵. For players who want stereo setups, the unit also provides direct playback head outputs, which Echo Fix describes as "allowing for external panning for stereo ping pong delays from a mono source"⁶.

Seven head modes and tape speed

Like the classic multi-head tape echoes it descends from, the EF-X3 lets you choose which playback heads are active. There are seven head mode settings¹:

Single-head modes give one repeat per echo; the combination modes layer two or three heads for the multi-tap rhythmic repeats that made multi-head tape echoes famous. Tape speed is adjustable from 4 to 15 IPS (inches per second) on the standard EF-X3², which sets the repeat time and character; the Vintage Voice edition ranges from 3 to 15 IPS with delay times of 56ms to 1755ms².

The controls

The control set Echo Fix publishes for the EF-X3 includes:

• Bass and Treble controls for the echo signal, so the repeats can be darkened or brightened independently of the dry sound¹
• Analog BBD chorus with rate and depth controls¹
• High/Low output level switch on the front panel output (on the Tolex version)³
• Sound On Sound switching on the Vintage Voice edition, switchable over the top of the head modes or used independently⁷

The tone controls on the echo signal carry over from the earlier EF-X2, which Pedal of the Day described as offering "Bass and Treble control of the echo signal"⁸.

Power and connections

The EF-X3 runs on mains power and comes with a worldwide-compatible 100 to 240V power supply, so no step-down or other transformers are required for US or European outlets¹. Connections include a direct WET output at the rear for the reverb and chorus⁵⁹³, and the Tolex version adds balanced input and output at the rear³. Direct playback head outputs are available for external panning⁶. The standard unit ships with a removable metal lid⁹.

Where it came from

The EF-X3 builds on Echo Fix's earlier EF-X2, which the company says gave it three years of momentum and trust before the X3 arrived³. When the EF-X2 was announced in 2019, Guitar.com reported that it "houses three main functions: a tape echo, DSP-based reverb and preamp"¹⁰. A 2020 Pedal of the Day review of the EF-X2 listed its four core functions as "Tape echo, Real Spring Reverb, DSP Reverb/Chorus and Preamp", and noted its DSP reverb and spring reverb blend setting, which also allowed a spring reverb and chorus blend⁸. The EF-X3's move to an all-analog BBD chorus and analog spring reverb with a 100% analog signal path is the main departure from that design¹.

Versions and editions

The EF-X3 is sold in several distinct versions:

Echo Fix also notes that new units ship with metal lids rather than acrylic, and black powder coated internal hardware rather than chrome; the acrylic and chrome combinations are no longer available¹. The Vintage Voice editions have been offered as pre-sales in limited numbers, shipping three weeks from the purchase date⁷.

The Vintage Voice editions

The EF-X3 Vintage Voice is built on the EF-X3 platform but uses new-spec vintage-voiced tape heads and different voicing compared to the standard EF-X3. Echo Fix says it "delivers the warmth and character of classic tape echo machines"². It is available with a Vintage Voice Blue or Gold front panel⁷, in desktop form, and as the rack-mounted EF-X3R Vintage Voice⁷⁵¹¹. Echo Fix also sells an EF-X2 MK2 DIY erase and record head off mod, supplied with a new top PCB cover, cables, and an instruction guide, for owners modifying earlier units¹².

Buying from the United States

The EF-X3 ships from Australia. For customers outside the USA, import duties and fees are the buyer's responsibility. For USA customers, Echo Fix covers the tariff and customs charges via its express courier, so the checkout price is all inclusive¹. The EF-X3 Chorus Echo carried a list price of $2,639.00 USD as of March 2024⁴.

Videos

Click to load

Click to load

Click to load

Questions