At long last, Boss has lifted the curtain on the RV-200 – an all-new compact reverb pedal that acts as the latest (and perhaps most anticipated) entry into the long-standing 200 Series.
The arrival of the RV-200 has been a long, long time coming. After first launching the 200 range almost five years ago with the DD-200 delay pedal and MD-200 modulation, Boss has since combed through its catalog to create pedalboard-friendly versions of its 500 Series.
The latest additions to this stompbox selection were 2021’s IR-200 and SY-200, which lined up alongside the EQ-200 and OD-200. At the time, everybody had the same question: when will a downsized version of the RV-500 be released?
Well, the prayers of reverb aficionados have now finally been answered – and Boss has even been kind enough to throw in an all-new reverb to make up for the wait.
At its core, the RV-200 functions exactly the same way as its two-footswitch siblings: it takes the features of the larger (and more expensive) RV-500 and squishes them into a more manageable, real estate-mindful package.
As for what makes the pedal tick, the stompbox is backed by a custom Boss DSP, 32-point floating point processor and a 96kHz sampling rate. Each reverb algorithm is “studio-grade with outstanding detail and definition”. This is Boss we're talking about, so of course it's going to sound good.
Highlights include the streamlined form factor, with the feature-packed reverb pedal utilizing two footswitches, seven control knobs, two face-mounted buttons and a small screen to navigate and organize the tones on offer.
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Available reverb types (accessed via the ‘verb selection knob) include classics such as Room, Hall, Plate and Spring, as well as more atmospheric offerings in the form of Reverse, Shimmer, Gate, Lo-Fo, Slowverb, Modulate and +Delay.
There is also, as mentioned, an all-new reverb, dubbed Arpverb. On paper, it’s all about bolstering Boss’s suite of atmospheric reverb algorithms, and is said to deliver kaleidoscopic arpeggios to achieve “dreamlike” tones. A quick listen to the demo video above reveals it’s a very welcome addition indeed.
It’s a fairly comprehensive set of reverbs, which aims to cover a broad spectrum of “real-world classics” to “unearthly spatial tones”, suitable for standard ‘verbs and more shoegaze-y, atmospheric soundscapes.
To tweak the above reverb types, Boss has opted for Time, Pre-Delay, Effect Level, Parameter and high and low filters. There is also a Density control to adjust the weight of the sound.
Elsewhere, the customizable footswitches can be configured to serve a number of different purposes, while there are jacks for expression pedal and external switch control. There’s also the Hold function, which lets players cycle through memories while simultaneously tailing the reverb effect for continuous spatial soundscapes.
Unsurprisingly, the RV-200’s preset allowances are generous (there are memories for storing 127 reverb sounds) and there is also the option for MIDI compatibility for versatile rig integration.
So, has it all been worth the wait? Well, watch the quite-exceptional demo video above and decide for yourself, but for our two cents, it sounds like it could quickly become one of the most popular 'verb machines on the market. Watch out, Strymon.
The RV-200 is available now for $270.
Head over to Boss for more info.
