I’m in the market for a delay pedal and I can’t decide between the zen and the volante. I can’t test them out in a store so looking for some advice before I spend lots of money.
What are your thoughts on them? Does anyone own both and have a preference?
I’ll be using it with a rytm mk2, digitone, and toraiz AS-1
Cheers nauts
I have both. Both incredible, both with distinct features that the other can’t do. They have very little in common besides being top of the class.
I know this isn’t helpful but get either one and you’ll be happy. Then get the other and you’ll be ecstatic. Very special delay boxes.
I have a volante and I use it with my OT and DN. It sounds great and can do quite a bit. I love the looping and reverse features.
I have the Volante. It is exceptional. If you like mechanical wear and warbles (a la vintage tape/drum delay), the Volante has that. The sound on sound and looping feature is amazing also, with reverse and tape stop simluation, including modification of live delay tweaks into the loop. One caveat - I’ve found that one of the big features, the multi-head delay, can get muddy on prolonged synth notes. I’m also curious about the Zen Delay too!
I’m a fan of the Volante. But then, I love tape delays and worn sounds in general.
I also think that if you’re going to be using it with your RYTM—assuming, of course, that you intend to use it for rhythmic elements—the Volante’s interface is perfect for that, what with how intuitively you can choose which taps you want active, etc.
Anyway, that’s my proverbial two cents.
Cheers!
A friend of mine got a Zen delay, he uses the distorsion extensively.
The two delays have very different characters. You have to decide which color you want to add.
I had a volante and have a zen delay. In my opinion the zen is more aimed at live tweaking and distorted sounds, but can also be clean and used as standalone distortion/filter.
Could be. To be honest, my friend is addicted to distortion, I haven’t seen any other side of the Zen.
I found the Volante easier to setup for sub divisions personally. Can still get dirty (on the repeats only though - but that can be really nice). You can also just turn it off like a normal guitar pedal, the Zen is always in the chain and the input volume always has an effect on your volume, in bypass or not. The Volante has easier controls to shape the tone of the delays, but the Zens BP filter is lovely to play with. Both big pedals!! Zen takes a 12v and Volante is standard guitar pedal 9v (depends on your setup if this is important to you I guess)
Don’t have a Volante anymore but would have one back in a shot. I found it a little more versatile than the zen, but not as much fun to play
Thanks team, I think I’ll go for the volante, sounds like it’s the better option for me at the moment
The filter of the zen delay in combination with the delay is awesome!
Anyone else have any feelings on the zen delay vs volante now that they’ve been out awhile?
I am thinking about the same. For me the best feature of Volante is midi control. During a live set the sequencer can change programs and parameters. Looper and nice subtle warm sound with possible destruction, as I can hear. I would like to try midi on Volante in SOS mode. CC# 41 to 48, additionally, heads control = programmable destruction 
. But I hear on the YT that Zen Delay has a great drive and filter. I would like to have both, but I will start with Volante. What do you think?
@DelayDude has a great YT channel 
I haven’t purchased either (been focused on more core things like better monitors), but the Volante seems to have made a pretty big splash. A lot of guitarists have been able to shrink their pedalboards with it.
After going a bit too complex with the Timeline, Strymon seems to have really figured out a balance between uniqueness and hands-on control.
Next time I get an effects pedal, it’ll definitely be the Volante.
I was deciding between the two and went for Volante as I wanted a delay to use as a hands-off send effect. Zen Delay seems better suited for hands-on control, and as such, I will probably own both eventually. I see them complementing more than competing with each other.
Thank you so much! 
I would start with the Volante, too - because I really dig the multi head option. But on the other hand, the filter of the zen delay is soooo nice. It would be awesome, to have both pedals in one enclosure. Maybe a collaboration …
Off topic but wouldn’t you consider an Audiothingies Doctor A?
I’ve had the Volante for some months now. Like it a lot. It can even do some beat repeat stuff if you automate the playback heads.
Can also be cool to just use it 100 wet to get a “vintage tape style” sound.
I’ve owned both! But kept the Zen delay.
Volante sounds so beautiful, and the sound on sound looper, (alongside the Tape speed and reverse functions) are really fun to play with.
for me the zen delay is emminently more playable and overall gives more interesting options.
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Volante always sounds like a super nice delay - Zen can sound like so much more
Recently got a chance to play with a Zen delay and will agree that it does sound great and is really fun to play. Ultimately I sent it back though because on the vintage setting it was straight noise. No filter and gain all the way down and still nothing but a wall of noise. It was very disappointing because the rest of the settings sounded great. At this point I have a source audio nemesis on my desk and it’s handling all my delay needs at the moment but I definitely want to grab another Volante because it is one of the most beautiful sounding pedals I’ve had the chance to play.