Sorry I forgot to mention that the 9098 I'm interested in is the plain stereo preamp.

Thanks!

The mic pre on the 9098 is good. The eq on the 9098 is real good. The mic pre and eq on the CIB is better. I'd even say much better. Don't know about the DMCL but it should have the same mic pre as the CIB.

Thank you AudioGaff for sharing your expertise with me.

I might just get the DCML, or both the CIB and DAV BG1. It's so difficult to get decent prices in Europe though.

I forgot to ask about the compressor section in the CIB. Is that nice? I know that quite a few people have a problem with the placement of the EQ and dynamics in relations to one another.

Thanks again,
John Stafford

The comp in the CIB is useable. No real character, and nothing to really brag about. Remember that the CIB is no longer being made and is an obsolete unit. AMEK is a dead company.

I like the stereo pre ... not incredible but definitely useful, I never liked the 9098 and it's EQ but that's just me, still I wouldn't kick it out of the rack

Gentlemen, for some reason I didn't see your replies. Sorry for not acknowledging them sooner!

I'm still not sure what to get. I'm trying to get a few decent pieces together instead of a load of mediocre ones. I don't have much experience of different mic preamps, so your opinions are very helpful. The search is such fun though!

Regards,
John Stafford

I have the CIB. THe pre's are excellant and the Eq is superb. The comps dont have that much of a character but still do the job fantastically well. I love the 'mm' mode on acoustic guitars. The pre's are the business on these though!

Paul Blenn