The Rowin LEF-3809 Tape Echo is a small digital delay pedal that models the sound of a tape echo. Rowin's listing describes it as a "Digital tape delay pedal with 44.1K24bit sampling,32 bit true floatingpoint DSP,with storage of timbre sound pedal", and calls it "Very small and exquisite"1. It sits among Rowin's compact delay pedals alongside the Rowin Tape Echo, Rowin Ana Echo, Rowin ECHO, Rowin Pure Echo and Rowin Delay, and the wider delay pedal field.
What it does
The LEF-3809 aims to put a tape echo voice into a pedal small enough for any board. Because the processing is digital, the repeats are generated by a 32-bit floating point DSP working from 44.1 kHz, 24-bit sampling, and the pedal stores its timbre sound internally1. The delay range of 100 ms to 0.6 s covers slapback country up to a moderate, room-filling echo; it is not a long-delay pedal, and players after extended repeats will want a unit with a longer maximum time.
Rowin's own words on the pedal:
"Digital tape delay pedal with 44.1K24bit sampling,32 bit true floatingpoint DSP,with storage of timbre sound pedal"
Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Effect type | Tape echo (digital modeling)1 |
| Circuit | Digital, 44.1 kHz, 24-bit sampling, 32-bit true floating point DSP1 |
| Delay time | 100 ms to 0.6 s1 |
| Bypass | True bypass1 |
| Enclosure | Metal shell1 |
| Power | 9V DC, center negative1 |
| Current draw | 3 mA1 |
| Manual | English and Chinese1 |
Power and practical details
The pedal runs on 9V DC, center negative, and draws 3 mA1. That is a very light load, light enough that it will sit comfortably on a shared output of most pedalboard power supplies without eating into the budget of higher-draw digital pedals. The enclosure is a metal shell1, and the bypass is true bypass, so the delay circuit is out of the signal path when the pedal is off1. A manual in English and Chinese is available from the maker1.
How it compares
Tape echo character is available in two broad camps:
- Analog bucket-brigade delays, like the Supro Delay Hi-Fi Analog Echo, which is "equipped with a pair of high-voltage MN3005 IC chips capable of producing up to 600ms of delay time"2
- Analog path designs, such as the Rockready AE-1 Analog Echo, described in review as "using a pure analog signal path"3
- Digital tape modeling, the LEF-3809's approach, which reaches its delay ceiling in the digital domain
The LEF-3809's 0.6 s maximum sits at the same ceiling as the Supro's 600 ms, but reaches it digitally, which typically means cleaner repeats rather than the darkening, degrading echoes analog chips produce12.
The maker's listing gives the circuit type field as "analog" while describing the pedal itself as a digital tape delay pedal with DSP and sampling1. The detailed description, sampling rate and DSP specification are the ones that describe how this unit works.
Videos
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Questions
Is the Rowin LEF-3809 analog or digital?
It is a digital pedal. Rowin's product listing describes it as a digital tape delay pedal built on 44.1 kHz, 24-bit sampling with a 32-bit true floating point DSP, and with storage of the timbre sound. It models the character of a tape echo in the digital domain rather than using an analog delay path.
Is the Rowin LEF-3809 true bypass?
Yes. The maker's listing gives the bypass type as true bypass, so when the pedal is off your guitar's signal passes through without the delay circuit in the way.
What power does the Rowin LEF-3809 use?
It runs on 9V DC, center negative, and draws 3 mA of current, according to the maker's listing. That very low draw means almost any standard pedal power supply can run it.
What is the delay time range of the Rowin LEF-3809?
The maker lists a delay time of 100 ms to 0.6 s. That is a short range compared with many delays, suited to slapback and moderate echo rather than long, self-oscillating repeats.
Sources (3)
- LEF-3809 Tape Echo by Rowin, RockBoard (PedalPedia), 2026
- Supro Delay Hi-Fi Analog Echo, Pedal of the Day, 2021-11-28
- Rockready VT-1 Vintage Trem & AE-1 Analog Echo, Pedal of the Day, 2023-11-25
