[Jay Kahrs]

Here's the rub. Once you get to that level of gear none of it really sucks. Some pieces are more versatile then others and will see more use in battle for that reason. But, only you can figure out what works for you on your projects. There's some gear that people love and I can't figure out why for the life of me. It's that whole YMMV thang at work.

I will say this, if your only going to get one preamp your way better off getting something on the cleaner end of the spectrum. Also, the mic matters more then the preamp. If you have $3K to blow I'd get a $1000-1200 pre and spend the rest on mics. But again...YMMV.