Empress Effects Buffer

Empress Effects Buffer wasn’t just a helpful addition to my pedalboard – it was a turning point that made me rethink my entire signal chain. Installing this pedal pushed me to finally do what I’d been putting off: get rid of weak links – from noisy cables to compromises like daisy chains and budget pedals.

What I liked:
- Signal clarity and dynamics. Even with a packed chain (10+ pedals including compressors, gates, distortions, delays...), the tone stays open, transparent, and clean.
- Functionality and architecture are spot on: dedicated loop, tuner out, front out – this is more than a buffer, it’s a signal hub.
- Impedance and level remain stable across the board.
- Build quality is top-notch: solid enclosure, durable jacks, premium components.
- Noise and hum control. Even with gain pedals like the Tube Screamer and Rat 2, the noise floor stays within reasonable limits.
- Studio-quality tone, without the premium price tag

Minor con: The only small issue I had was with the pre-attached silicone feet. They get in the way when mounting on a pedalboard with Velcro, so I had to remove them carefully. Personally, I prefer when manufacturers include them separately in the box – like Strymon does.

Honestly, this is my first Empress Effects pedal, and now I’ll definitely be checking out more of their gear, knowing how much attention they put into quality and detail.

Ich halte mein Pedalboard eher kompakt und baue es je nach Projekt permanent um. Wenn das erste und letzte Pedal jeweils einen guten Buffer haben und sich dazwischen hauptsächlich True Bypass-Geräte befinden ist alles im Lot. Falls zu viele schlecht gebufferte Pedale an Bord sind (Boss, Ibanez etc.), ein passives Volumenpedal o.ä. können Pegelverluste und Bass-/Höhenklau auftreten, da ich ohne Bypass-Loops arbeite. Das verhindert dieser simple, aber sauber arbeitende (Fa. Empress steht für Qualität) zweiteilige Buffer. Ich habe die kleine Version ohne Schalter und Regler gewählt, weil die unter mein Bord passt und dort dezent o.g. Schwachstellen ausbügelt. Ob man so einen Buffer braucht hängt also vom individuellen Bord ab.