Very subjective but yes very similar. I have the Broadcast dual channel which i love, but the secret sauce i feel is the internal trim pots in the Broadcast. Can't speak to the Benson as I don't own, but a friend does and loves it. He also tried the Broadcast and didn't love it like i did so there. To each his own.
I have them both and they are pretty close. For me the Broadcast is better though. I play a Jazzmaster ( jazzmaster pickups ) and a Reverend Flat Roc with Revtrons into an AC15 White Bronco with Creamback. The Broadcast feels wonderful to play and has all the sounds I want to hear. The Benson was ok but it felt like there was a blanket over my tone. Even with treble cranked and bass off I didn't get the sparkle I get from the Broadcast. I find the low cut much more versatile than the eq on the Benson. I would be super happy with the Benson if I had never tried the Broadcast though. Both are amazing pedals.
I’ve been watching shootouts and that’s what I’ve heard. The Broadcast has a lot more presence to it and is more open. I do wish it had a dedicated treble knob though. Do you know if the low cut is a high pass or does it just reduce the bass like a bass knob?
The Broadcast gets my vote but they are very close in related sound and tone. The Broadcast sound slightly more responsive with somewhat of a richer quality to its tone. I would be happy with either, for sure. Great vid, thx for posting.
Great review!! But I think that we are listening more to your amp than the pedals... You have your amp very overdriven... So I believe that's why the two pedals sound so similar. I understand that you like it this way, I love it too, but (IMO) for comparative purposes I think would be better to clean up your amp to hear the real pedal signal. I play through a Twin Reverb and I feel this comparative has no use for me. The video is great, but maybe by the end I'd include 2 minutes more with a clean amp :) Thanks for the video anyway! I love your sound and playing!
I agree with your comment, also every guy demoing pedals should always play clean somewhere along the line as I want to know exactly what the pedal can do and what it sounds like otherwise it's a waste of some people's time...
They sound similar because his "clean tone" is already clipping. The clipping characteristics of the latter stage will always impart its character the most. That's why this guy's demos are useless.
I have the Broadcast, same pedal as your's but in a black finish. This is the best pedal I have ever put into my Amps. I have Fender, Vox ,Marshall and Orange Tube Combos. I currently own around 70 Effects pedals. Including, boost, overdrive, distortion, Fuzz, modulation delay and reverb. Most My pedals are pricey, Strymon, Keeley, Wampler, Z Vex, Stonedeaf Merris, Subdecay, Caitlinbread, Fulltone, Way huge...etc but also Boss,. MXR, DOD, Dunlop Digitech.. Etc. My point being is that The Hudson Broadcast absolutely knocked me off my feet....Flick the giant Toggle Switch to the left and you get the 'clean' channel which was largely shown in this video. Flick the switch to the right and the Broadcast shots your pants for you! Plus for more head room Power the pedal at 18 or 24 volts. I have not demoed the other pedal myself, but it certainly cannot.do the massive Ballsy.Fuzz tone With articulation like the Broadcast can do with It's.Toggle.switch flicked to the right side 'Dirty Channel.
I could have made this same comment , seriously I actually had to do a double take at your name cuz, I thought I did write this years ago. I have bought the Benson, for a new build ,since this was posted. Let me tell you it's good, but it's NO HUDSON! Not even close. There was no need to A/B them ,there's that much of a noticeable difference. I wish I had gotten the duel switch BROADCAST (someday I will) But I won't get rid of my first one, EVER, eeeever, ever, ever, ever.
I now own both, 2 button version of the Braoadcast. I really like both, but to me the Broadcast is the better sounding of the 2 if I could only own one.
Thanks for doing this. I'm looking into both and this helped steer me towards the Broadcast. I think it would pair nicely with my Fender amps (Blues Jnr Tweed & Bassbreaker15 w/112 Extension Cab) and/or Laney VC30 with maybe my Tumnus as a post-Broadcast booster-shaper.
Anderson Trindade of course you love the one you own aka confirmation bias. Not a bad thing though the Broadcast sounds bloody terrific as well as the Benson.
Thanks for the comparison Aaron. I've had the Broadcast three times (yep, I have a problem) and in the end didn't make friends with it. I think for me it was soooo close but a slight mid focus and no EQ (other than bass cut) meant it was great with one amp, not so great with the others. The Benson adds the additional controls of bass and treble, seems 'looser' in its feel which I think will suit me. I'm in for a Benson!
Hey Guys , guess what?? My broadcast is working already!!! So happy right now!!! I still can’t get the Aaron’s sound , but I’m on my way to get it... Thank you guys for your support.
Tiago Mendes it’s the same pedal, the difference is the amp, actually his clean sound, his one isn’t real clean, mine one it’s totally clean, that’s the difference.
Douglas Rayo you may find that if yours is 24 volt then it will have a lot more headroom than than the one on the video, which sounds and looks like it’s been run on 9 volts. I run my original on 18 volts and it stays clean ( on a clean amp) nearly throughout the gain range unless I flip the gain switch to high. Absolutely killer for light overdrive sounds and stacking pedals. I sometimes like to run it on 9 volts though to get that super saggy tone heard here.
Peter Jessop ok, I’m a little confused, mine one runs on 9 volts, but it’s a 24volts, users guide says its a 9 volts which internally transform Those 9 volts into 24, all this internally.. I’m running into a fender super sonic 22 amp, it’s clean , definitely clean so I must push the gain way more than the Aaron’s, back I said Aaron’s clean sound it’s not that clean.
Douglas Rayo yes the original ones like mine and probably the one in the video do not increase the voltage internally. I have to use an 18 volt input to get the high headroom you already have. My one running at 9 volts sounds exactly like the one in the video.
The Broadcast is better in my opinion but I like the option of having the better eq of the benson. fwiw, I was able to mod my two foot switch Broadcast to tame a touch of the high presence freqs and it kills. It also has the ability to go from light breakup to a higher breakup with the hit of the second foot switch. I might have the broadcast modded by changing out the transistor with a old mullard oc71 transistor one day.. like the original ltd release did. The Broadcast replaced a Fairfield Barbershop.. they are similar ideas.. but the Broadcast has more gain and options available. Killer low gain dirt pedal and its very dynamic. This and the Klon/Tumnus Deluxe and I have my low gain overdrive needs down. Have owned hundreds of boutique overdrives over the last 30 years.
I've made a clon of this pedal myself. I love it, but it's true, it can be overkill on the highs with some settings. I was wondering what did you do to tame it. A low pass filter on the output section maybe? Schematics... ? Cheers.
Hfe and leakage readings are much more important than the designation (I.E. OC44 or OC71) of the germanium transistor. Ime, the transformer plays a larger part than the transistors
Thanks for the great demo! Have you tried the Smallsound/Bigsound Mini? If so, how would you say it compares to the Benson? I love using the Mini when recording without an amp. I'm really tempted to get the Benson but i don't know if i would get a big impovement in tone compared to the Mini.
Aaron, which did you like best? I think the Benson has a bit more natural sounding, full-frequency thing going on. The Broadcast seems predicated on midrange and gets a little rattier around the edges.
your page demo helped me. i decided to buy one and it does not disapoint now looking for a fuzz its gotta buzz splatter and scream! most likley be silicoln something
This broadcast *only* runs at 24 volts - you give it a 9v input and it upscales internally to 24v. Different versions of the broadcast have varying voltage configurations but this one is always at 24
Hey Aaron, because of you bro I bought a 24 volt broadcast, I was really excited until I got it, guess what?? I doesn’t work 😡, I bought it in USA , but I don’t live there, so I wasted my money!! Still an awesome pedal.
Douglas Rayo - I have reached out to customer service before- their response time and drive for quality is top notch. Reach out to them and I’m sure they’ll take care of you! I have the peach guitars 24v dual footswitch and I love it. Best of luck and sorry.
Ryan Bisson Thank you bro, I appreciate it. The problem is I didn’t even bought it in a Hudson electronic store, I bought it in this store named Gear hero, they were the one on where I could find it, the one in the whole United States, I paid $280 plus delivery to my country, I told them the pedal doesn’t work, actually it never worked, so they told me a couple of things to check and if it does not work yet I should send it back, but back I said I don’t wanna keep wasting my money, sending it back is expensive.
I had a feeling these would be very closely matched. The Hudson is a lot better value for us European folks. The Benson Preamp would be almost €300 while the Hudson Broadcast would be closer to €180. Still, I do prefer the Benson. The EQ range is far greater. Probably gonna end up with the Broadcast though, just because it's such good value.
I actually prefer the Hudson, but only just. I mean, they sound so close in comparison. So with that price difference it would be a no brainer for me. I live in Europe.
Maybe you have to be in the room to appreciate the nuances of the sound, but on a laptop neither one of these pedals sounds that amazing; they just sound like typical overdrive/boost pedals. On the other hand, boutique (Catalinbread, ZVEX, etc., etc.) overdrive/boost/amp-in-a-box pedals are almost as expensive as these are, so their price isn't crazy relative to the market.
a preamp without a tone stack seems crazy (unless you have other preamps in your chain) the broadcast cannot be shaped as much- a cool sound most certainly but it seems to me the benson covered - the benson has more low end on tap , which i prefer
sempercompellis yeah you’re right the Broadcast is definitely less versatile tone - wise - it’s pushing ALL frequencies through. However the low cut is surprisingly effective at curbing the lows once you get into higher gain settings. ALSO I found that the Broadcast sounds vastly different going into a Blackface-style amp - much harsher (which makes sense considering the more open top end of those amps). So again, to each their own! Definitely have to match pedal / guitar / amp
yes, fuzzes especially, but anything higher gained (or at least "harsher" gained) wont get along in fender land (unless you put some squishy squish in between)@@AaronSternke
sempercompellis one of the reasons I vastly prefer British-voiced amps for most overdrive! A lot more forgiving :-) The exception is the tweed thing, which I am still on a personal quest to find :-)
@@AaronSternke I cannot argue with that philosophy as I have held it for most of my playing years- I can say, as I the years go by I am less and less "gainy" in my preferences, more and more "mid-Scooped" as well, pickups are all wound 20-25% below "normal" ie. low output(I have either unwound my former ones or purchased custom new ones) and the less compressed the better imho. Marshalls have all collected dust while Fender amps are what I play presently (I will say the JTM45 is a nice middle ground)
The Broadcast has more of the solid state console drive, while the Benson has that more tube saturated, or even Ge diode , phat tone; I like the attack and broader frequency spread, the abject trashiness, of the Broadcast.Don't think I see the US/Brit comparison.I hear pure American garage rattle in the Hudson.But you're correct ,- both lovely flavors,
Very subjective but yes very similar. I have the Broadcast dual channel which i love, but the secret sauce i feel is the internal trim pots in the Broadcast. Can't speak to the Benson as I don't own, but a friend does and loves it. He also tried the Broadcast and didn't love it like i did so there. To each his own.
I have them both and they are pretty close. For me the Broadcast is better though. I play a Jazzmaster ( jazzmaster pickups ) and a Reverend Flat Roc with Revtrons into an AC15 White Bronco with Creamback.
The Broadcast feels wonderful to play and has all the sounds I want to hear. The Benson was ok but it felt like there was a blanket over my tone. Even with treble cranked and bass off I didn't get the sparkle I get from the Broadcast. I find the low cut much more versatile than the eq on the Benson.
I would be super happy with the Benson if I had never tried the Broadcast though. Both are amazing pedals.
Couldnt agree more
I’ve been watching shootouts and that’s what I’ve heard. The Broadcast has a lot more presence to it and is more open. I do wish it had a dedicated treble knob though. Do you know if the low cut is a high pass or does it just reduce the bass like a bass knob?
The Broadcast gets my vote but they are very close in related sound and tone. The Broadcast sound slightly more responsive with somewhat of a richer quality to its tone. I would be happy with either, for sure. Great vid, thx for posting.
VeniceArtsClub both are great for sure!
Thanks for posting this, Aaron ! Crazy how similar to each other these pedals sound.
Very useful review.
Gilles Carissimi glad you found it useful! Yeah these two were closer to each other than I anticipated!
Great review!! But I think that we are listening more to your amp than the pedals... You have your amp very overdriven... So I believe that's why the two pedals sound so similar. I understand that you like it this way, I love it too, but (IMO) for comparative purposes I think would be better to clean up your amp to hear the real pedal signal. I play through a Twin Reverb and I feel this comparative has no use for me. The video is great, but maybe by the end I'd include 2 minutes more with a clean amp :) Thanks for the video anyway! I love your sound and playing!
I agree with your comment, also every guy demoing pedals should always play clean somewhere along the line as I want to know exactly what the pedal can do and what it sounds like otherwise it's a waste of some people's time...
Wow. I’m surprised how similar these sound!
cody mangum sane!
They sound similar because his "clean tone" is already clipping. The clipping characteristics of the latter stage will always impart its character the most. That's why this guy's demos are useless.
I have the Broadcast, same pedal as your's but in a black finish. This is the best pedal I have ever put into my Amps. I have Fender, Vox ,Marshall and Orange Tube Combos. I currently own around 70 Effects pedals. Including, boost, overdrive, distortion, Fuzz, modulation delay and reverb. Most My pedals are pricey, Strymon, Keeley,
Wampler, Z Vex, Stonedeaf Merris, Subdecay, Caitlinbread, Fulltone,
Way huge...etc but also Boss,. MXR, DOD, Dunlop
Digitech.. Etc.
My point being is that The Hudson Broadcast absolutely knocked me off my feet....Flick the giant
Toggle Switch to the left and you get the 'clean' channel which was largely
shown in this video. Flick the switch to the right and the Broadcast shots your pants for you!
Plus for more head room
Power the pedal at 18 or 24 volts.
I have not demoed the other pedal myself, but it certainly cannot.do the massive Ballsy.Fuzz tone
With articulation like the Broadcast can do with
It's.Toggle.switch flicked to the right side 'Dirty Channel.
Kev Hebbs will you prefer broadcast over strymon riverside / sunset ? Cheers
you mean "shits"?
I could have made this same comment , seriously I actually had to do a double take at your name cuz, I thought I did write this years ago. I have bought the Benson, for a new build ,since this was posted. Let me tell you it's good, but it's NO HUDSON! Not even close. There was no need to A/B them ,there's that much of a noticeable difference. I wish I had gotten the duel switch BROADCAST (someday I will) But I won't get rid of my first one, EVER, eeeever, ever, ever, ever.
I now own both, 2 button version of the Braoadcast. I really like both, but to me the Broadcast is the better sounding of the 2 if I could only own one.
Suspicions confirmed! More than happy with my Broadcast.
They sound about the same to me. Maybe the broadcast is a little “meatier” on the basso notes, and the benson is a bit more upper mid focused.
weakbrainthrombosis my feelings are similar! Both great
these are both great. Benson to my ear sounds a bit more mid rangey and the broadcast is a bit glassier in the top end. Dig it!
I think I still like the Benson.......
Yep no winners / losers here! Just great sounds everywhere :-)
Thanks for doing this. I'm looking into both and this helped steer me towards the Broadcast. I think it would pair nicely with my Fender amps (Blues Jnr Tweed & Bassbreaker15 w/112 Extension Cab) and/or Laney VC30 with maybe my Tumnus as a post-Broadcast booster-shaper.
Broadcast with the Bassbreaker 15 is a great combo! The low cut really tightens up all the low end those amps have... good stuff
I own a Broadcast. Broadcast all day! No doubt.
Anderson Trindade of course you do. Lol.
Gary Gratzer I could only catch your laugh. Of course I do what??
Anderson Trindade of course you love the one you own aka confirmation bias.
Not a bad thing though the Broadcast sounds bloody terrific as well as the Benson.
Joshua Benton
Exactly. 🙂
Joshua Benton thank you! I haven’t been able to sleep since that first comment. Lol
Thanks for the comparison Aaron. I've had the Broadcast three times (yep, I have a problem) and in the end didn't make friends with it. I think for me it was soooo close but a slight mid focus and no EQ (other than bass cut) meant it was great with one amp, not so great with the others. The Benson adds the additional controls of bass and treble, seems 'looser' in its feel which I think will suit me. I'm in for a Benson!
Glenn Mack you won’t be disappointed! And yeah I agree with your perception of the differences between them
Thanks for the video Aaron.. in the middle of making the decision between the too.. still trying to decide but this helped!
Did you ever get one?
Hey Guys , guess what?? My broadcast is working already!!! So happy right now!!!
I still can’t get the Aaron’s sound , but I’m on my way to get it... Thank you guys for your support.
Maybe your broadcast it's only 9v instead of 24v. You will never get the sound because they are different pedals
Tiago Mendes it’s the same pedal, the difference is the amp, actually his clean sound, his one isn’t real clean, mine one it’s totally clean, that’s the difference.
Douglas Rayo you may find that if yours is 24 volt then it will have a lot more headroom than than the one on the video, which sounds and looks like it’s been run on 9 volts. I run my original on 18 volts and it stays clean ( on a clean amp) nearly throughout the gain range unless I flip the gain switch to high. Absolutely killer for light overdrive sounds and stacking pedals. I sometimes like to run it on 9 volts though to get that super saggy tone heard here.
Peter Jessop ok, I’m a little confused, mine one runs on 9 volts, but it’s a 24volts, users guide says its a 9 volts which internally transform Those 9 volts into 24, all this internally..
I’m running into a fender super sonic 22 amp, it’s clean , definitely clean so I must push the gain way more than the Aaron’s, back I said Aaron’s clean sound it’s not that clean.
Douglas Rayo yes the original ones like mine and probably the one in the video do not increase the voltage internally. I have to use an 18 volt input to get the high headroom you already have. My one running at 9 volts sounds exactly like the one in the video.
Now please do a comparison between Hudson Broadcast vs Crazy Tube Circuits Falcon :) Great vid as usual Aaron!
Hoping they'll send me one sometime early next year! :-)
@@AaronSternke Stoked! subbed dude :)
Man, I would love to own a Benson Chimera, but this is very close for $250. Great pedal!
Tyler W agreed!
The Broadcast is better in my opinion but I like the option of having the better eq of the benson. fwiw, I was able to mod my two foot switch Broadcast to tame a touch of the high presence freqs and it kills. It also has the ability to go from light breakup to a higher breakup with the hit of the second foot switch. I might have the broadcast modded by changing out the transistor with a old mullard oc71 transistor one day.. like the original ltd release did. The Broadcast replaced a Fairfield Barbershop.. they are similar ideas.. but the Broadcast has more gain and options available. Killer low gain dirt pedal and its very dynamic. This and the Klon/Tumnus Deluxe and I have my low gain overdrive needs down. Have owned hundreds of boutique overdrives over the last 30 years.
I've made a clon of this pedal myself. I love it, but it's true, it can be overkill on the highs with some settings.
I was wondering what did you do to tame it. A low pass filter on the output section maybe? Schematics... ?
Cheers.
Hfe and leakage readings are much more important than the designation (I.E. OC44 or OC71) of the germanium transistor. Ime, the transformer plays a larger part than the transistors
I needed this. Was in the fence on which to get. THANK YOU!
Did you ever get one?
Thanks for the great demo! Have you tried the Smallsound/Bigsound Mini? If so, how would you say it compares to the Benson? I love using the Mini when recording without an amp. I'm really tempted to get the Benson but i don't know if i would get a big impovement in tone compared to the Mini.
Marios Savvidis I haven’t tried the mini! And I really don’t ever record without an amp... I’m too spoiled and used to it! Haha
Aaron, which did you like best? I think the Benson has a bit more natural sounding, full-frequency thing going on. The Broadcast seems predicated on midrange and gets a little rattier around the edges.
James Schlittenhart I have a soft spot for the full range GROWL of the Broadcast but I honestly love both of these
@@AaronSternke Both sound great, but it's more the player than the gear. Excellent demo, as per usual. Thanks for what you do!
your page demo helped me. i decided to buy one and it does not disapoint now looking for a fuzz its gotta buzz splatter and scream! most likley be silicoln something
DUDE check out the Doc Lloyd Face Ripper, best / most insane fuzz I’ve tried, but can also but really chill. I’ve got a demo of it!
@@AaronSternke i sure will im also lookn at the canyon climber and swarm have you heard of lastgasp pedals they look cool
Josh Fowler haven’t heard of them! So much great stuff out there tho
I would take either
Were you running the braodcaster at 24 volts for the comparison?
This broadcast *only* runs at 24 volts - you give it a 9v input and it upscales internally to 24v. Different versions of the broadcast have varying voltage configurations but this one is always at 24
Same test on bass? Please?
what about both in the same chain or stacked?
Definitely would be great! Endless tonal possibilities. Can’t go wrong with either (or both)
Hey Aaron, because of you bro I bought a 24 volt broadcast, I was really excited until I got it, guess what?? I doesn’t work 😡, I bought it in USA , but I don’t live there, so I wasted my money!! Still an awesome pedal.
Douglas Rayo shoot! Sorry that happened! Have you reached out to Hudson Electronics? They may be able to help you out!
Aaron Sternke i haven’t talk to them, I don’t wanna keep wasting my money by sending it back.
Douglas Rayo - I have reached out to customer service before- their response time and drive for quality is top notch. Reach out to them and I’m sure they’ll take care of you!
I have the peach guitars 24v dual footswitch and I love it. Best of luck and sorry.
Ryan Bisson Thank you bro, I appreciate it. The problem is I didn’t even bought it in a Hudson electronic store, I bought it in this store named Gear hero, they were the one on where I could find it, the one in the whole United States, I paid $280 plus delivery to my country, I told them the pedal doesn’t work, actually it never worked, so they told me a couple of things to check and if it does not work yet I should send it back, but back I said I don’t wanna keep wasting my money, sending it back is expensive.
Douglas Rayo even if you didn’t buy it from them I bet they’ll try to take care of you. Also, how are you powering the pedal? Does it power on at all?
I had a feeling these would be very closely matched. The Hudson is a lot better value for us European folks. The Benson Preamp would be almost €300 while the Hudson Broadcast would be closer to €180. Still, I do prefer the Benson. The EQ range is far greater. Probably gonna end up with the Broadcast though, just because it's such good value.
I actually prefer the Hudson, but only just. I mean, they sound so close in comparison. So with that price difference it would be a no brainer for me. I live in Europe.
Both!
Aaron can I buy that red one from ya?
Actually swapped it out for a 4-knob white one a while back 😎
@@AaronSternke dang ok
Maybe you have to be in the room to appreciate the nuances of the sound, but on a laptop neither one of these pedals sounds that amazing; they just sound like typical overdrive/boost pedals. On the other hand, boutique (Catalinbread, ZVEX, etc., etc.) overdrive/boost/amp-in-a-box pedals are almost as expensive as these are, so their price isn't crazy relative to the market.
Stock pickups in the tele?
Matthew Hill yep stock!
a preamp without a tone stack seems crazy (unless you have other preamps in your chain) the broadcast cannot be shaped as much- a cool sound most certainly but it seems to me the benson covered - the benson has more low end on tap , which i prefer
sempercompellis yeah you’re right the Broadcast is definitely less versatile tone - wise - it’s pushing ALL frequencies through. However the low cut is surprisingly effective at curbing the lows once you get into higher gain settings. ALSO I found that the Broadcast sounds vastly different going into a Blackface-style amp - much harsher (which makes sense considering the more open top end of those amps). So again, to each their own! Definitely have to match pedal / guitar / amp
yes, fuzzes especially, but anything higher gained (or at least "harsher" gained) wont get along in fender land (unless you put some squishy squish in between)@@AaronSternke
sempercompellis one of the reasons I vastly prefer British-voiced amps for most overdrive! A lot more forgiving :-) The exception is the tweed thing, which I am still on a personal quest to find :-)
@@AaronSternke I cannot argue with that philosophy as I have held it for most of my playing years- I can say, as I the years go by I am less and less "gainy" in my preferences, more and more "mid-Scooped" as well, pickups are all wound 20-25% below "normal" ie. low output(I have either unwound my former ones or purchased custom new ones) and the less compressed the better imho. Marshalls have all collected dust while Fender amps are what I play presently (I will say the JTM45 is a nice middle ground)
The Broadcast sounds like the Benson with another drive pedal stacked before it.
In the same room they don't.
Crazy at 1:01 and 1:04 they sound so close, barely perceptible
Benson! Son!
Hudson! Son! Bet!
The Broadcast has more of the solid state console drive, while the Benson has that more tube saturated, or even Ge diode , phat tone; I like the attack and broader frequency spread, the abject trashiness, of the Broadcast.Don't think I see the US/Brit comparison.I hear pure American garage rattle in the Hudson.But you're correct ,- both lovely flavors,
I own both, they're both great. however they react very differently. If anything I would compare the Benson to a BD-2!
Benson
Both sound horrible, such a rip off at those prices. We can build the samething with better parts for half the price
Lol
“Here’s my clean tone..” [plays into dirty amp]
Thanks for nothing! 🙄
Colton Wheeler Sorry I’ll give you all your money back!