Strymon Timeline vs. Kemper Delays

  • I have a Strymon Timeline and a KPA toaster w/ remote. My question is this:


    How much better (if at all) are the Strymon Timeline's delays than the KPA's delays?


    I don't have much experience with either, but I am planning to do a lot of recording over the new few years and am wondering if it would be better to sell the Timeline and use the money for something else, or if I would be better off keeping it.


    What can the Timeline do that the KPA delays can't? Any benefits it has over the KPA?


    How exact can I make the delay times on the KPA? If I were to record using the KPA delays, would I be able to adjust them and make them as accurate/adjustable as the Timeline?


    I appreciate your input!

  • They’re both excellent but have subtle differences.


    There are some delay sounds on the Timeline can do that the Kemper delays cannot but there are also things on the Kemper (eg Crystal delays) that the Timeline doesn’t have.


    You have physical knobs for every parameter on the Timeline and, on the toaster, you have to scroll a bit.


    You can stack the Kemper delays but you only have one with the Timeline.


    You can set tempo easily with both.


    The Timeline costs quite a lot - only you can decide whether the few little bits it does that don’t have a direct replacement in the Kemper are worth it. To me, they are not but we’re all different :)

  • Agreed totally.


    I got rid of mine however with the big delays update on the KPA and haven't missed it!


    Si

  • I sold my Timeline too when I got the Kemper. I prefer the sound of the Kemper delays. The biggest weakness of the Timeline seemed to be the 'Mix' knob, the way the dry and processed signals blend works much better in the Kemper.


    I also used an old Lexicon LXP-5 digital delay before I got the Kemper. I much preferred the Lexicon sound to the Timeline sound (as long as the dry signal does not go through the Lexicon).


    Not that the Timeline is bad, by any means. Very flexible, many good sounds. But between the overall delay sound of the Kemper delays, the LXP-5, the MXR Carbon Copy and the Timeline, the Timeline was my least favourite.

  • Not sure what style of music you play, but in my world, praise and worship (church music), most guys I know are getting rid of their Strymon’s and going all kemper delay and reverb. With as good as the kemper delays are, I’m not sure why anyone would go through the hassle of having an external pedal for delay. With the new reverbs coming out soon, I think I’d say the same for reverb as well.

  • No point for having Strymon for live unless you have very specific delay program only Strymon can do. IMO delays in Kemper are on par with Strymon ones and are much more flexible due to stacking.

  • I sold my Timeline when the new Delays got released.
    The Timeline for me still sounds a bit better than the Kemper. The analog sounds sounded warmer and a bit richer IMHO.
    And I do use delay in ambient sounds quite a lot.
    But all in all the difference was so not worth keeping it so I sold it and still got 450€ for it.
    I don't know how the market for these things is now but just as a tip these things were still worth close to retail in value.

  • I agree with most of you, the delays are great, but I can’t wait any longer for those beautiful reverbs that I watched on YouTube! Does anybody know when these are coming out, when the update is?
    8o:thumbup::thumbup:

  • I have the powered Kemper KPA, so what you’re saying is, I need to find the smallest, tiniest micro size guitar cabinet that I could face down on the stage to give me some characteristics of feedback…
    The search starts, LOL