Sitek Guitar Electronics' pristine Cristal Signal Buffer delivers superior tones equal to its refined looks

This is essentially the significantly re-engineered Nudist Buffer - with even greater high fidelity and signal preservation and an overall more refined experience.

Buffer’s are essential utilities for preserving higher frequencies in particular - which otherwise get diminished in an among your guitar and pedal cables. For every meter of cabling you will likely suffer an equivalent degree of signal loss - particularly in the upper register. 

A buffer very much boosts the fidelity of your sign-chain and preserves all those different frequencies that might otherwise be diminished and lost along the way.

As with all pedals - the quality of the components and engineering impacts significantly on the fidelity of the pedal - and here things are slightly over-engineered to some extent to ensure maximum fidelity and preservation.

Andy Sitek deploys a dual op-amp here for two parallel paths - where the same buffers deliver as much as 2x current at the output. This is because a higher output current is significantly more proficient and driving capacitive load. Improving overall therefore both capacitance and reactance.

The Cristal Signal Buffer has a high input Impedance of 1.5MΩ - which allows for effective guitar/bass signal buffering without loading down the pickups or affecting the tone, while its low output impedance (<100Ω) helps maintain signal integrity over long cable runs and multiple effect pedals.

Internally the voltage is boosted from 9V to 18V delivering improved headroom and low distortion for a clearer, more dynamic sound. While in the case of power failure this pedal automatically enters True Bypass mode, ensuring uninterrupted signal flow.

Unlike some buffers the Cristal has an integral footswitch that empowers you to compare the buffered and unbuffered signals and toggle the buffer off when needed.

In order to maintain the integrity of the signal, a Buffer is typically placed at the beginning of a guitar effects chain. However, optimal placement can vary, and experimentation is recommended to find the optimal position for your own setup. In some cases, adding a buffer at the end of the guitar effects chain can also be beneficial.

For my own needs - I already have a Buffer at the start of my chain - within the Jackson Audio Prism pedal, so I would deploy my own Cristal Signal Buffer towards the end of the chain - just before all the stereo pedals - to ensure the fidelity of the signal closer to the output end of the chain!

The Cristal Signal Buffer is available right now from the Sitek Webstore for €75. It comes in an eye-catching Sparkle Frost enclosure!

Signal Buffers are pretty essential for signal fidelity - and this one is about as refined a device as you can get your hands on - for pristine sounds!