A huge Thank You for the comparison; I realy like the style of your Videos. All the important details and pro & contras are mentioned and I have now all the necessary knowledge to chose the right one for me. Well done sir, well done👌🏼
7 band programmable parametric EQ? Assignment for pre and post EQ? Assignment of graphic and parametric pre/post? Adjustable Q for independent bands? Adjustable/variable frequency's? The Boss is a toy by comparison...
@@savoirfaire8979 ummm, just looking to sculpt the mids and round out the treble...it took me less than 10 minutes to dial it in for my particular use...ymmv
Both great, but I far prefer the individual real sliders on the Boss, rather than using virtual digital sliders with just one knob on the Source Audio.
Great comparison video review . Very smooth and professional presentation. A lot of information in a relatively short, concise video. Well done. Thank-you for putting the effort and sharing your knowledge in this video
A great use case for these types of pedals is swapping between an HH and SSS or HH and Tele style guitar using the same amp rig and pedals. Set up an EQ and level profile for each guitar and bingo, swap guitars hit a button and you are good to go. I will be getting one of these shortly for just this case
Very thorough comparison - good mix of technical and musical analysis. Thank you! For my uses, the BOSS would be better in the studio, due to its more analog interface, while the Source Audio pedal is best suited for a pre-programmed live performance situation (assuming you don't need to do a lot of spontaneous EQ manipulation while playing).
If you play live you are going to set the bulk of your settings at home or rehearsal so the last thing you want is a huge EQ pedal. I only use mine for my dirt sound so I use the Wampler quasi parametric which really is best for finding sweet spots without too much hassle. I do have an old Maxon graphic I use to fix my overall sound in a really bad room so I can leave my rehearsal settings on all my pedals alone.
Boss EQ200 is everything you need and nothing more if all you need is fast access EQ. Sound quality is excellent and response is immediate. Graph gives you instant visual reference. I keep mine on Manual Flat, and use Memory 1-4 as needed to scroll through basic presets (High Cut, Lo Cut, Mid Boost, Mid Scoop). Instant adjustments can be made on the fly, no fuss.
With the EQ2 you may also: use a regular expression pedal with a custom TRS cable that has an inverted tip/ring signal at one end (I've made them). This opens your world to ALL expression pedals...
I came very close to picking up one of these. But, begin old school.....the affordable Boss EQ 7, has been a part of the greatest tones on the planet, and it's very simple. These pedals companies, while creating some great gear, are getting too technical for their own good, IMO. It defeats the purpose when you have to stop what you're doing to start digging into manuals with this stuff. I have the Source Audio Collider, and it sounds spectacular....but, even that's more in-depth than I wanted to get. I really miss the days of just plug and play.... Great comparison, though. I came here to see if there was anything in particular that I was missing with either of these pedals. And, you answer a lot of the concerns I already had. Kudos for taking the time.
agree and love the simplicity of my 10 band MXR EQ pedal dead simple and works great. Looking at getting another EQ pedal for my other amp and trying to pick between Boss and SA and want smaller footprint.
Wow, what a fantastic review! In just 10 min you covered an amazing amount of material with exceptional clarity. Bravo! The EQ2 seems to match my needs a bit better than the EQ-200, but whoa, what's with that sudden falloff above 8k in the pass-thru frequency response? (Thanks for measuring that, by the way!) It suggests the EQ-2 may be using a somewhat low sample rate (and looking at the specs, I see the sample rate is conspicuously absent). I'd be using it with an acoustic as well as an electric, and there's signal content up there, audible at least to 12k or so (even for my aging ears). But maybe a slight nudge with the hi shelf could fix that. Good to learn about that before buying! -Tom
@@ManBunMetalHead fair...I do t know much about that stuff but I know there's tons of videos of people doing the "loop mod"to make them series instead of parallel
What do you think of the idea to use a cabinet with FRLR speakers like Celestion F12-X200 or Celestion F12M-150 and an EQ like that in the effects loop to sort of emulate different types of speakers?
Can either of these work with line levels signals? I’d like to use them from a DJ prospective to tune the speakers, and I’d prefer these over the regular “rack” equalizers. Would it be possible?
As a guitarist who has also mixed audio for events, I think the Source Audio wins hands down in terms of features while the Boss wins in terms of usability. A parametric eq just makes more sense and being able to go in between the set rails of a graphic eq is very useful for getting specific (which is kinda the whole point of an eq anyway right, to be specific?) Only thing holding it back is it's size. On the EQ2, you don't have a whole lot of knobs to use all it's features. You have one knob to share different parameters. If Source Audio gave the EQ 2 a larger screen and more space in general to show off it's features, it'd be invincible. The parametric eq is a huge advantage, I just wish it displayed what freqs you changed them too instead of the default print frequencies. Just making a physically larger pedal to make it's features easier to use would be great. Otherwise it's a juggernaut. The boss is really good too
I wanna sell my EQ2. The only thing that thing misses is 10 small knobs so you can dial the tone faster. I'm thinking of getting the BOSS GE7, or the MXR. The Source Audio really has some cool features, but that 1 knob man, fuck it...
Yeah, but it's better dude. Once you set up your 8 presets, you are done. It is a far more versatille pedal. Another tip- get the switch. During different song parts, you can toggle a completely different EQ tone- even simulate a wah. IMHO, it is better than the Empress Deluxe and FAR better and quieter than the GE7. Forget MXR. That is not even in the same conversation. The new version MXR is better than the junk they sold in the blackbox but it is not even close to the EQ2. IF you must edit on the FLY, then be LOCKED into one tone, get the more expensive Empress Deluxe MKII.
How do you come across the info on the pedals ? Especially Boss...lol My dilemma is that I bought the SY 200 synth pedal, and the EV-1-WL expression pedal and the FS-7 foot switch. I can't get the EV-1-WL to work at all, via midi, regular cable etc etc etc, tried every which way, it does nothing...and the FS-7 only the A button works like an expression pedal, but the sound just goes up and down by one button...lol Being that it appears that all of the 200 series pedals ONLY scroll up....I was wondering if I bought the wrong equipment. Ugggggggg Anyway, I'm just wondering if you happen to know (being that Roland/Boss never returned any of my emails in time and now I'm stuck with these pedals that don't work like I thought) if I can have an expression pedal hooked up to the SY 200 AND have a foot switch as well, at the same time ? If you know how to do this or what I might need to get that to work, I'd really appreciate it !!! 😁🙏 Right now I'm just gigging with the SY 200 pedal itself and only using one sound, being that I can't scroll back down, or control the rate of time for the sounds. I almost wish I got the SY 300, but I don't want a huge unit or I should have just got the SY-1 if I knew the limitations. If there are any... I don't know where to look or get help to find out how to do this. So... That really stinks !!!!!! LOL Thanks for the video though !!!!!! I'd be interested in more 200 series pedals if I knew what they can and can't do. If there's a site, or a place to look for more info ? That'd be swell ! At least I'll know, and I can sell this stuff and get what I need. Have a great day !!! Thanks again !!! :-)
It seems like Source Audio went into designing the EQ2 thinking that people would use the software to set it up, but they put the knob on there to cover the people who refuse to use computers. lol
I personally own the EQ-200, and I have it secured to the back of my 5150 Iconic along with an Ibanez Mini Tube Screamer. This thing RIPS for taming the low end flub and high end fizz, and the interchangeable EQ curves after exploring the inner workings of the unit were a genius inclusion by BOSS. I hadn’t heard of the EQ2 before this video, but I may have to check it out. Thanks for the informative video! 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
@Lily Crawford quick tip, I actually found that the Tube Screamer I have affixed to the back really isn’t necessary due to the Burn switch on the front, so I’d also have an actual clean channel to work with instead of one that’s always overdriven. When you get into the inner workings of the unit, I’d 100% recommend using the 32/1k/16K EQ settings. The ranges for those are as follows: 32 Hz, 63 Hz, 125 Hz, 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1kHz, 2kHz, 4kHz, 8kHz, 16kHz. Let me know how it goes once you get your hands on it! 😊🤘
Goddamn, that is some over complicated shit for an EQ pedal. I’m glad I found this video. I’m not buying any of those. Bunch of digital programmable bullshit.
Can somebody tell me if it's normal that my EQ2 makes an audible relay click when I engage or disengage it? Even when I switch it via midi it makes this clicking sound it's my only pedal that does this just wanna check if it's normal because ideally I wouldn't want any of my pedals to make clicking noises..
Is the relay clicking sound transmitted to the amp? if not, then it's just the relay switching of the pedal. If I understood the manual/app, you can select the bypass to either be true bypass (relay) or active analog (buffered)
I dont know if anyone has noticed this or can help but i am getting unwanted noise almost clipping or distortion when using certain pedals in my chain with the SA EQ2. Anybody experience this or may have some reasoning behind this or what to check for? I have definitely sourced it to the eq2. I use it with my dream 65 and i dont have any issues with it unless i put some pedals like microcosm, zoia, cbp, etc…
A direct, no BS, no long intro fully informative vid straight to the point. Thanks a ton for this work !
A huge Thank You for the comparison; I realy like the style of your Videos. All the important details and pro & contras are mentioned and I have now all the necessary knowledge to chose the right one for me. Well done sir, well done👌🏼
Some reasons to buy the Source Audio:
Parametric EQ and Graphic EQ
128 preset slots
Built in chromatic tuner
Good points. But the EQ200 also has 128 presets. You may have to update the firmware though.
7 band programmable parametric EQ? Assignment for pre and post EQ?
Assignment of graphic and parametric pre/post?
Adjustable Q for independent bands?
Adjustable/variable frequency's?
The Boss is a toy by comparison...
@@youscreamiscream You’ll be twiddling settings instead of actually playing guitar.
@@savoirfaire8979 ummm, just looking to sculpt the mids and round out the treble...it took me less than 10 minutes to dial it in for my particular use...ymmv
@@youscreamiscream And that's not even mentioning the editor.
I love my SA EQ2 - the routing options and versatility make it a really powerful tool.
I got two of them now. And the mono older SA EQ. Good stuff if you got MIDI.
Can you change a different frequency than on the screen?
Super review! Very thoughtful, clear, & well-produced. It is helping me understand the capacities of my EQ 200.
Both great, but I far prefer the individual real sliders on the Boss, rather than using virtual digital sliders with just one knob on the Source Audio.
Great presentation, covered all I wanted to know, plus. Thank you.
Very in-depth and informative! Thanks for investing the time, energy, and effort!
Thanks! This video took some time.
This is super in-depth and clearly communicated. Great video!
Wow what a great review. Blown away. Thanks.
Very comprehensive overview with real world pluses and minuses.
Bro! This review was exceptional! Thanks a lot!
No problem. Glad you enjoyed it. 🤘🏼
Great comparison video review . Very smooth and professional presentation. A lot of information in a relatively short, concise video. Well done. Thank-you for putting the effort and sharing your knowledge in this video
Great review, MBMH! I went with the Boss after your review. Thanks
A great use case for these types of pedals is swapping between an HH and SSS or HH and Tele style guitar using the same amp rig and pedals. Set up an EQ and level profile for each guitar and bingo, swap guitars hit a button and you are good to go. I will be getting one of these shortly for just this case
I'm amazed from the quality of this video!!!! 🤩👍🏽
Great review and editing, man.
A professionally done video. Nice job. Both of these companies should pay you for a well made vid. Thank you for not mentioning Sweetwater.
Very thorough comparison - good mix of technical and musical analysis. Thank you!
For my uses, the BOSS would be better in the studio, due to its more analog interface, while the Source Audio pedal is best suited for a pre-programmed live performance situation (assuming you don't need to do a lot of spontaneous EQ manipulation while playing).
If you play live you are going to set the bulk of your settings at home or rehearsal so the last thing you want is a huge EQ pedal.
I only use mine for my dirt sound so I use the Wampler quasi parametric which really is best for finding sweet spots without too much hassle. I do have an old Maxon graphic I use to fix my overall sound in a really bad room so I can leave my rehearsal settings on all my pedals alone.
The eq is the one to definitely be set at the gig....
Very helpful comparison.
I agree with others here, damn good video! Thanks!
Super helpful, great video man
Boss EQ200 is everything you need and nothing more if all you need is fast access EQ. Sound quality is excellent and response is immediate. Graph gives you instant visual reference. I keep mine on Manual Flat, and use Memory 1-4 as needed to scroll through basic presets (High Cut, Lo Cut, Mid Boost, Mid Scoop). Instant adjustments can be made on the fly, no fuss.
okay okay im buying it geez
Best product review video ever!
Excellent ++ in-depth review!
The Boss is easier to adjust. Sliders are better than a single knob that you have to change the frequencies one by one.
I worry about LCD-bleed in the display of the Boss 200 EQ. The small form factor of the Source Audio wins it for me. A good comparison of features.
What an odd comment. Do you worry about LCD bleed for every device that has a LCD?
Screens no good if it fades after a few years. At these price points they should last 10-15 years.
With the EQ2 you may also: use a regular expression pedal with a custom TRS cable that has an inverted tip/ring signal at one end (I've made them). This opens your world to ALL expression pedals...
Great video. Proper concise detail.
I came very close to picking up one of these. But, begin old school.....the affordable Boss EQ 7, has been a part of the greatest tones on the planet, and it's very simple. These pedals companies, while creating some great gear, are getting too technical for their own good, IMO. It defeats the purpose when you have to stop what you're doing to start digging into manuals with this stuff. I have the Source Audio Collider, and it sounds spectacular....but, even that's more in-depth than I wanted to get. I really miss the days of just plug and play.... Great comparison, though. I came here to see if there was anything in particular that I was missing with either of these pedals. And, you answer a lot of the concerns I already had. Kudos for taking the time.
agree and love the simplicity of my 10 band MXR EQ pedal dead simple and works great. Looking at getting another EQ pedal for my other amp and trying to pick between Boss and SA and want smaller footprint.
so many more simple perdal options these days, as well as complicated ones.
so thats a void point
little late to the party, but still a great comparison. thanks!
4:56 It blinks indicating unity gain and I think output level can't be save, gain for each channel can be saved though.
Wow, what a fantastic review! In just 10 min you covered an amazing amount of material with exceptional clarity. Bravo!
The EQ2 seems to match my needs a bit better than the EQ-200, but whoa, what's with that sudden falloff above 8k in the pass-thru frequency response? (Thanks for measuring that, by the way!) It suggests the EQ-2 may be using a somewhat low sample rate (and looking at the specs, I see the sample rate is conspicuously absent). I'd be using it with an acoustic as well as an electric, and there's signal content up there, audible at least to 12k or so (even for my aging ears). But maybe a slight nudge with the hi shelf could fix that. Good to learn about that before buying! -Tom
I love your channel name.
The EQ2. It's great, BUT, why did they put unchangeable frequency numbers on the front when it's parametric?
Thanks Man great helpful and informative video...now just to choose which one lol
Great job - great video 🎉 very helpful and enlightening - Thank you 😊
The Boss any day
im assuming these are both DIGTAL and wouldnt work as well on my triple recto effects loop(the dreaded parallel loop) as an ANALOG?
They are digital, but I haven't used the effects loop on the triple recto so I don't have any experience there.
@@ManBunMetalHead fair...I do t know much about that stuff but I know there's tons of videos of people doing the "loop mod"to make them series instead of parallel
If boss had put motorized sliders, it would’ve more than doubled the price.
take a picture with your phone, problem solved
@@tomnottebaere8363 What a dreadful solution lol.
What do you think of the idea to use a cabinet with FRLR speakers like Celestion F12-X200 or Celestion F12M-150 and an EQ like that in the effects loop to sort of emulate different types of speakers?
Can either of these work with line levels signals? I’d like to use them from a DJ prospective to tune the speakers, and I’d prefer these over the regular “rack” equalizers. Would it be possible?
As a guitarist who has also mixed audio for events, I think the Source Audio wins hands down in terms of features while the Boss wins in terms of usability. A parametric eq just makes more sense and being able to go in between the set rails of a graphic eq is very useful for getting specific (which is kinda the whole point of an eq anyway right, to be specific?) Only thing holding it back is it's size. On the EQ2, you don't have a whole lot of knobs to use all it's features. You have one knob to share different parameters. If Source Audio gave the EQ 2 a larger screen and more space in general to show off it's features, it'd be invincible. The parametric eq is a huge advantage, I just wish it displayed what freqs you changed them too instead of the default print frequencies. Just making a physically larger pedal to make it's features easier to use would be great. Otherwise it's a juggernaut. The boss is really good too
I completely agree with you. 🤘🏼
BUT you have the software app to create all those specific settings and you need a tweak when you're gig'in it's not too difficult.
Just found this so i dont know if you've already done this but please do more "battle" style videos.
I wanna sell my EQ2. The only thing that thing misses is 10 small knobs so you can dial the tone faster. I'm thinking of getting the BOSS GE7, or the MXR. The Source Audio really has some cool features, but that 1 knob man, fuck it...
Yeah, but it's better dude. Once you set up your 8 presets, you are done. It is a far more versatille pedal. Another tip- get the switch. During different song parts, you can toggle a completely different EQ tone- even simulate a wah. IMHO, it is better than the Empress Deluxe and FAR better and quieter than the GE7. Forget MXR. That is not even in the same conversation. The new version MXR is better than the junk they sold in the blackbox but it is not even close to the EQ2. IF you must edit on the FLY, then be LOCKED into one tone, get the more expensive Empress Deluxe MKII.
Not bad, not bad at all. I would be interested to see how they compare against the big boys. EMPRESS PARAEQ or JHS Colour Box
Do either of the USB connections output audio, or is it just for firmware updates?
the usb connection is used for firmware updates on both units, and for software control on the Source Audio. neither outputs audio.
@@ManBunMetalHead Thanks for that
How good is the noise gate in the Source Audio EQ2?
Considering you're the noisegate king, how would you rate the gate on the EQ 2? Thanks
Can you use the Boss with an expression/volume pedal and transform it into a Wah pedal like you can with the Source Audio's EQ2?
I don't think you are able to control the EQ200 that way
How do you come across the info on the pedals ?
Especially Boss...lol
My dilemma is that I bought the SY 200 synth pedal, and the EV-1-WL expression pedal and the FS-7 foot switch.
I can't get the EV-1-WL to work at all, via midi, regular cable etc etc etc, tried every which way, it does nothing...and the FS-7 only the A button works like an expression pedal, but the sound just goes up and down by one button...lol
Being that it appears that all of the 200 series pedals ONLY scroll up....I was wondering if I bought the wrong equipment.
Ugggggggg
Anyway, I'm just wondering if you happen to know (being that Roland/Boss never returned any of my emails in time and now I'm stuck with these pedals that don't work like I thought) if I can have an expression pedal hooked up to the SY 200 AND have a foot switch as well, at the same time ?
If you know how to do this or what I might need to get that to work, I'd really appreciate it !!!
😁🙏
Right now I'm just gigging with the SY 200 pedal itself and only using one sound, being that I can't scroll back down, or control the rate of time for the sounds.
I almost wish I got the SY 300, but I don't want a huge unit or I should have just got the SY-1 if I knew the limitations.
If there are any...
I don't know where to look or get help to find out how to do this.
So...
That really stinks !!!!!!
LOL
Thanks for the video though !!!!!!
I'd be interested in more 200 series pedals if I knew what they can and can't do.
If there's a site, or a place to look for more info ?
That'd be swell !
At least I'll know, and I can sell this stuff and get what I need.
Have a great day !!!
Thanks again !!!
:-)
Like and subscribed.
can you used the eq200 for bass
It sure can
I enjoyed watching it but I think it is not a fair comparison.
Source audio is a parametric eq and a graphic eq while boss is only graphic.
It seems like Source Audio went into designing the EQ2 thinking that people would use the software to set it up, but they put the knob on there to cover the people who refuse to use computers. lol
I personally own the EQ-200, and I have it secured to the back of my 5150 Iconic along with an Ibanez Mini Tube Screamer. This thing RIPS for taming the low end flub and high end fizz, and the interchangeable EQ curves after exploring the inner workings of the unit were a genius inclusion by BOSS. I hadn’t heard of the EQ2 before this video, but I may have to check it out. Thanks for the informative video! 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
@Lily Crawford quick tip, I actually found that the Tube Screamer I have affixed to the back really isn’t necessary due to the Burn switch on the front, so I’d also have an actual clean channel to work with instead of one that’s always overdriven. When you get into the inner workings of the unit, I’d 100% recommend using the 32/1k/16K EQ settings. The ranges for those are as follows:
32 Hz, 63 Hz, 125 Hz, 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1kHz, 2kHz, 4kHz, 8kHz, 16kHz.
Let me know how it goes once you get your hands on it! 😊🤘
10k is where the Air is...it is a big deal actually
🔥🔥
Goddamn, that is some over complicated shit for an EQ pedal. I’m glad I found this video. I’m not buying any of those. Bunch of digital programmable bullshit.
Can somebody tell me if it's normal that my EQ2 makes an audible relay click when I engage or disengage it? Even when I switch it via midi it makes this clicking sound it's my only pedal that does this just wanna check if it's normal because ideally I wouldn't want any of my pedals to make clicking noises..
Is the relay clicking sound transmitted to the amp? if not, then it's just the relay switching of the pedal. If I understood the manual/app, you can select the bypass to either be true bypass (relay) or active analog (buffered)
meh to both...i use an hx stomp for my mod effects in the loop and it has plenty of usable eq options....i wouldn't waste money on either of these
Can the boss help get a super clea jazz tone? I know it's digital, I want to know if it will keep the organic sound or if it changes the tone too much
Not even a question. Parametric EQ is better.
Just get a NUX GT-400 - 10 band, lots of room for saving settings, plus, ++++
you lost me at 'man bun'
I dont know if anyone has noticed this or can help but i am getting unwanted noise almost clipping or distortion when using certain pedals in my chain with the SA EQ2. Anybody experience this or may have some reasoning behind this or what to check for? I have definitely sourced it to the eq2. I use it with my dream 65 and i dont have any issues with it unless i put some pedals like microcosm, zoia, cbp, etc…