Wait, you mean to tell me there is a brand new Empirical Labs Product? Uh… What did you say? Did I hear that correctly? Yea, you heard right….. The EL9 has a mic amp that boasts more than incredible dynamic range with a specified S/N Ratio exceeding 130 DB SPL. WHAT?!? That’s right folks; the microphone amp in this unit uses special Dave Derr steroids that upon patching your microphone into it, will instantly build solid muscle and shape your tone!!! The Comp/SAT is just about the coolest addition he could have added to the gloriously deep sounding mic amp that sits before it. It really allows you to soften the top and quell the brash brightness one may encounter with certain sources and microphones. To my ear, the Comp/SAT is like a new hybrid of the EL7 and EL8, but with a Wet/Dry control that allows a blend of non-compressed and compressed signal. I found I could easily obtain a variety of musical tones when playing around with the HF Emphasis [which is actually two circuits that surround the Comp/SAT] along with the Comp/SAT for adding a touch of top end color and smoothness to the signal.

-A/B