Most of them all sound exactly the same, in my opinion. The XOs are just surface mount components, in a smaller more durable chasis with a typical 9v power supply.

It’s all a matter of opinion. Some of them have altered circuits, some of them don’t. IMO some nano and XO are better, some are just as good, and there may be one or two stinkers out there too.

Remember, word of mouth tends to lead to hyperbole though. Guitar players are passionate people. If I hate one pedal out there (Boss BD-2 for example) that doesn’t mean you can’t get some good sounds out of it and enjoy it.

I’ve yet to play an XO that sounded worse than the big version – all the ones I’ve compared have sounded identical or slightly better. The one advantage that the bigger boxes have is that you can easily tweak knobs with your feet. The advantage that the XO series has is that you can use a bunch of them without taking up the entire stage or all the room in a cramped jamspace. Also, the XO daisychain easier but the bigger ones have top-mounted jacks, which I find far preferable to side mounted jacks. The big ones have a rad retro vibe while the XO are sleek, modern and ooze convenience.

What it boils down to is this: Some praise progress while others beg for those in charge not to fix what isn’t broken. I don’t know, both series have pros and cons. It’s just that in my experience, sound quality isn’t one of them.

I still wish all the XOs had some paint on them. I must be stupid but I get a vibe off the look of the pedal as well as the sound. I think the raw alloy looks ____________ (fill in the blank).