NPD!! Malekko 616 Dark

[benjuro]

Yeah I wondered about that, and worried a bit that it might be more dusky than I like...the 616 with the buffer off I definitely found a little dull. Makes sense though that the voicing would be significantly different.
Will be really excited to hear your 2 cents...

It's SUPER dark, darkest repeats I've ever heard, easily. Dusky is a really great word to describe the sound. Mine DEF sounds kinda limp and boring in TB, the buffer really brings it to life tho, gives the repeats more clarity and bounce. Where it shines for me is the sorta background wave of awesomeness it creates. Single repeats sound great and all but it's when you let those repeats stack and interact that it sounds like nothing I've ever heard. I love the oscillation too, kinda thumping/rhythmic thing going on with it and I'll ramp it up and back off via expression. Wish the exp dialed repeats down to zer, always one repeat at minimum setting, would prefer none so I could go from dry signal to insane via exp.

Like others mentioned, it loses repeats pretty quick with dirt/fuzz but I just set it for minimal repeats and it still sounds really amazing, notes sorta soar in a wash of dark verby delay, sounds vast!

The 600B is great too and I never woulda sold mine but I had a DMM reissue that I preferred just barely and I paired it with my 600D, was nice! Now I have neither and it bothers me to think about that fact. Damn it. At least I had the sense to keep the 600D.

I'm with you on the EXP pedal control...I actually wondered if mine was working correctly when I couldn't get that one single repeat on my 600B to go away

[rustywire]

Mine (finally) arrived yesterday and the first day has been
Having recently traded my E600B for a Cosmichorus v3, this immediately reaffirms my adoration for *longer analog delay*
It would have been nice to compare them side-by-side, but it's already clear this is more my style and better compliments, even contrasts my DMM and DM-2.

I thought the pedal looked charcoal grey in the pictures on the Malekko site, but in person it's black on black and very sharp looking.
Tiny footprint too, with smaller dimensions than the Spring Chicken LTD.

High on the Time & Regen knobs, the repeats become increasingly lofi as they fade out.
In general the repeats are rhythmic without clicking or getting chirpy.
The modulation adds extra dimension on subtle settings and pitch bent ambience at the other extremes.
Usable settings of all kinds...and even sounds great with fuzz; although most of the grit is dampened in the repeats, but they retain much of the harmonic content and base tone, while taking on their own, burnt-out characteristics.
Gloriously satisfying self-oscillation at both low and high Time settings.

Positive first impression, would recommend.

[zRobertez]

I have a confession to make. Last week on a whim, I decided to sell my (kind of) beloved Supa Puss figuring it would be easy enough to find another if I really want to. I was following the less is more philosophy as I was thinking and it's always gone well for me in the past. So I ordered one of these! All this DESPITE no trails or expression
Also, I just really want to fucking try this pedal and I've had great experiences with Meh-lekko in the past. It's good to hear all the good reviews from everyone

But I hope life doesn't change much without trails, tap tempo, looooong delay times, etc. I've heard some dudes talk about how they don't need any of that fancy stuff and I wish I didn't either. So we'll see! I think it will be a good change in the end!

[kbit]

You guys are making me want one of these ya bastard.
Would probably compliment my regular 616 nicely.

[Holy Schnikes]

I got mine over the weekend and finally compared it to the 600D for awhile earlier today.

I agree they're voiced pretty closely, esp on short and normal settings, but the repeats on my 616D don't fade away all that smoothly when compared and they definitely don't flow together and stack atop one another in the same fashion. When the Regen is set about midway on up, I get a glitchy, kinda hiccup-y lofi fade on the last two or three repeats. Sounds cool but doesn't allow the awesome blooming character of my 600D, that cloud of background sound, just not there. The repeats sound a little more separated and prominent on the 616D, can't get those mofos to feed into one another the same way when using medium or long delay time/mix settings. Also, doesn't seem to take dirt/fuzz any better than the 600D with my setup.

The mod sounds really nice, goes way more extreme than I'd ever need but offers up nice range and some super cool and creepy pitch bent repeats. The oscillation sounds good too but not as good as the 600D and the lack of exp kinda sucks.

Overall a really sweet sounding delay esp considering the lack of 600D availability now days but while I think it got pretty close, it's def not all the way there and won't be replacing mine. Not sure if I'll keep both or flip the 616D, need to spend more time messing with it cuz I really love the addition of mod.

I'm thinking I might keep the 616D. It does sound really really similar on shorter/more normal settings, and I'll have a delay on my board that plays nice with dirt. But the 600D just sounds and feels soooooooooooooooo much sweeter on longer decay settings; it's very soothing like being enveloped by kashmir. So

Totally agree, those long decay settings clearly set them apart.

I bet if I had no 600D to compare it to, I'd be all about the 616D, don't wanna give the idea that it doesn't sound great. Just not as great as the 600D but SO MUCH better than the normal 616 imo as long as you're not turned off by dark/warm repeats with an obvious lofi character in longer settings.

[01010111]

616D is definitely a keeper. If I had gotten my hands on it first I wouldn't have sought out a 600D. The difference really isn't too big, they both sound amazing.

Also, I tried a different power supply and was able to coax out some cloud-like atmospheric stuff from the 616D.

[zRobertez]

So I've had it for a few days but I don't think I'm going to end up keeping it. It's definitely cool and I've had some fun with it but I think it's too dark for my tastes. but it just doesn't feel right with my set up. So I think I'm gonna pass it on after a band practice or two. Not that I don't like it, just that I don't think it will work very well for me in the end.

Also, I think I know why people have issues with the 616 modulation circuit. It actually changes the delay time rather than just adding a vibrato on top of the delay line. It's not a big delay time change from the top to the bottom of the sweep but its enough to notice it if you listen very closely to the trails. Pretty neat but it does make it sort of sensitive at certain positions of the time knob.

[benjuro]

DUDERz!

Now that you've rocked your 616Ds for a while, what's the final verdict?

[01010111]

I really like mine. a lot. It really is super dark, and because it is pairing it with other reverbs and delays is super ambient. It's awesome! I'm plan on getting mine etched soon

[Holy Schnikes]

Mine ended up having issues, strange sounding repeats that would cut off abruptly as oppossed to fading out. Also a steady thumping sound/clock noise/whatever that I couldn't resolve.

Malekko is currently sending me a replacement.

[benjuro]

I really like mine. a lot. It really is super dark, and because it is pairing it with other reverbs and delays is super ambient. It's awesome! I'm plan on getting mine etched soon

Cool, thanks for the deets. You using it with fuzz or mostly clean?

Mine ended up having issues, strange sounding repeats that would cut off abruptly as oppossed to fading out. Also a steady thumping sound/clock noise/whatever that I couldn't resolve.

Malekko is currently sending me a replacement.

ugggggghhh

[01010111]

I like it with both. Because it's so dark, even with the volume of the repeats maxed-out, it sits really nicely under your signal. So even if you have the infinite noise thing goin' on you're signal still comes through brilliantly!

[nad]

DUDERz!

Now that you've rocked your 616Ds for a while, what's the final verdict?

I love and use them both so god damn much it's ridiculous. The 616 Dark is an absolute keeper, just like my O.G. 600 Dark.

As good as the regular 616 and 600 Bright are, neither one really ever did it for me, so I didn't hold on to them for long.

EDIT: I should also add that the only delay pedal I've ever loved besides these two is an Analog.man ARDX20. If you like these Dark Malekkos, definitely scope that thing out too. It starts off bright and dirty, but the repeats and oscillations get pretty juicy thick. And that explains the only 3 delay pedals I own any longer. Awww.

[benjuro]

Not a 616D, but finally got a 600D

Now I see why these are so sought after...the dark voicing is really a different animal than the bright (duh). I do love the bright but the atmosphere created by the dark is just amazing. Now the tough decision is whether to flip the 600B or the 616V2...the tone on the 600B is gorgeous, but the modulation and far longer delay on the 616 make it a little tough to decide. Or maybe dump them both and get a 616D.
Not a bad problem to have...

[Holy Schnikes]

Nice, congrats dude!