The Neunaber Echelon Echo is a compact delay pedal made by Neunaber Technology, LLC in Orange County, California. Its defining feature is a pair of delay voices: a Hi-fi Tape Echo and a Lo-fi Delay, selected by a single control. The dry signal stays analog, which the maker credits with low noise and zero latency, while the echoes are digital1.
The pedal covers 50 to 1000 ms of delay time, with tap tempo and rhythmic subdivisions built in. It sells for $219.00 as of October 20262.
What it does: Hi-fi Tape Echo and Lo-fi Delay
The Effect control switches between the pedal's two voices. Counter-clockwise selects the Hi-fi Tape Echo, shown by a yellow LED; clockwise selects the Lo-fi Delay, shown by a white LED3. The Effect control is one of the alternate controls, reached by holding down the Engage footswitch while turning the knob rather than by a knob on the face of the pedal3.
The rest of the signal path is built for cleanliness. The dry signal is analog, with the manual listing 0.01% total harmonic distortion and a 20 Hz to 30 kHz frequency response, plus or minus 1 dB, dry or bypassed. Signal-to-noise is 116 dB dry and 101 dB enabled with all knobs at 50%, A-weighted. The output is buffered and capable of driving long cables, and the level is the same engaged or bypassed, at 0 dB3.
The controls
Three knobs sit on the face of the pedal, and each has an alternate function reached by holding the Engage footswitch while turning it3.
| Control | Normal function | Alternate function |
|---|---|---|
| Mix | Blend of dry signal and echo, 0% to 100% wet; full clockwise is 100% echo, typically used with a parallel effects loop32 | |
| Time | Echo time, 50 ms to 1 second, with white marks every 100 ms3 | Tap Divide: rhythmic subdivisions in Tap Mode2 |
| Repeats | Number of echo repeats, the amount of regeneration3 | |
| Effect | Switches between Hi-fi Tape Echo and Lo-fi Delay3 | |
| Trails | When on, the effect trails off naturally after bypass; when off, it cuts off immediately. Magenta LED for off, cyan for on3 |
The Engage footswitch selects between engaged and bypassed, and pressing and holding it for 1 second enters or exits Tap Tempo mode, with the LED illuminating red3. The LED also blinks the tempo: short on and long off when bypassed, long on and short off when active4.
Tap tempo and subdivisions
To use tap tempo, you press and hold the footswitch for 1 second to enter Tap Mode, then tap to the beat. Taps set a quarter-note tempo, and the echo time changes to the interval between the last two taps. Taps must be less than 1 second apart, which means tempos above 60 BPM, because the maximum echo time is 1 second3.
In Tap Mode, the Time knob becomes the Tap Divide control, snapping to the closest marker for rhythmic subdivisions2. The subdivisions available are4:
- 1: quarter-note
- 3/4: dotted 8th-note
- 1/2: 8th-note
- 1/3: 8th-note triplet
- 1/4: 16th-note
- 1/6: 16th-note triplet
This is the same tap-and-divide approach other makers have adopted. The Wampler Faux Tape Echo v2 added a built-in tap tempo switch with four subdivisions, 1/4 note, 1/8th, dotted 1/8th and triplet, which Wampler said users had been asking for56.
Power: 9 V to 12 V, 100 mA
The power jack accepts a standard 5.5 mm OD x 2.1 mm ID center-negative pedal power adapter, which is not included. The adapter must be between 9 V and 12 V and capable of supplying 100 mA or more3.
There is no battery option. The pedal needs a power supply from the start, and the 100 mA requirement is worth checking against a small daisy-chain supply before you buy.
Other electrical specs from the manual3:
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Input impedance | 1 MΩ |
| Output impedance | 1 kΩ |
| Nominal input level | -10 dBV, instrument level |
| Maximum input level | 8 dBV |
The input jack accepts signal directly from an instrument, an amplifier effects loop output, or other effect pedals, and the output jack feeds another pedal, an amplifier, or an effects loop return3.
History and versions: v2 to the V3 Mono
The Echelon line goes back to at least 2014, when MusicPlayers.com reviewed the Neunaber Technology Echelon Stereo Echo, a digital delay pedal with up to one second of delay time and the same three-knob Mix, Time and Repeats layout7. That pedal also required a BOSS-style 9V center negative adapter and did not run off batteries7.
The current page covers the v2, whose manual is published under the Quilter Labs site, where Neunaber's documentation now lives3. A later version, the V3 Mono, was shown at NAMM 2020; it carries over the algorithm featured in previous versions of the pedal and adds a second, more lo-fi and warm algorithm, with top-mounted jacks8.
At NAMM in January 2020, Neunaber Audio showed a V3 Mono version of the Echelon Echo with9:
- Top-mounted jacks
- Two algorithms instead of one: the algorithm from previous versions plus a new, more lo-fi and warm one
- A redesigned tap-tempo system
- Switchable trails
What reviewers said
What the maker's own listing does establish is the v2's regular price of $219.00, its adjustable delay time of 50 to 1000 ms, and that it is manufactured locally in Orange County, California USA2.
"The Echelon Stereo Echo is a fantastic sounding, easy-to-use delay pedal."
MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen reviewed the Echelon Stereo Echo and found the Mix, Repeats and Time knobs "pretty standard as for any delay," describing it as "a very practical delay pedal that does its own thing with real character." Asked for reasons to avoid it, his answer was "Very few."10
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Questions
Does the Neunaber Echelon Echo run on a battery?
No. The Echelon Echo v2 runs from a 9 V to 12 V DC center-negative power adapter, which is not included with the pedal. The adapter must supply 100 mA or more. There is no battery option, so it needs a spot on a pedalboard power supply.
What is the maximum delay time on the Echelon Echo?
The maximum delay time is 1 second (1000 ms), and the minimum is 50 ms. The Time knob has white marks every 100 ms so you can read the setting at a glance. In Tap Tempo mode, taps must be less than 1 second apart, which works out to tempos above 60 BPM.
Is the Echelon Echo dry signal analog?
Yes. Neunaber describes the v2 as having an analog dry signal for low noise and zero latency. The manual lists 0.01% total harmonic distortion and a 20 Hz to 30 kHz frequency response, plus or minus 1 dB, for the dry and bypassed signal.
Can the Echelon Echo be used in a parallel effects loop?
Yes. The Mix knob goes from 0% to 100% wet, and the manual notes that full clockwise, which is 100% echo, is typically used with a parallel effects loop. That lets the loop's own mix control handle the blend instead of the pedal.
Sources (10)
- Echelon Echo v2, Quilter Labs
- Echelon Echo v2, Neunaber Audio (Quilter Labs)
- Echelon Echo v2 User Guide, Quilter Labs
- Elements User Guide, Neunaber Technology LLC, 2016
- Faux Tape Echo v2, Wampler Pedals, 2026-08-18
- Wampler Pedals Release the Faux Tape Echo v2, Guitar Interactive Magazine, 2016-11-11
- Neunaber Technology Echelon Stereo Echo, MusicPlayers.com, 2014-08-14
- Neunaber updates Wet Reverb, Seraphim Shimmer and Echelon Echo pedals with selectable algorithms, guitarworld.com, 2020-09-09
- Neunaber Echelon Echo V3 (Mono), Delicious Audio, 2020-01-21
- Neunaber Echelon Stereo Echo review, MusicRadar, 2016-02-20
