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Compressor pedals: Broughton Omnicomp vs Empress Bass Compressor vs Ampeg Opto Comp
- Thread starter butterfingers1
- Start date
Keeley Bassist is my favorite. Fairly transparent but does add, for me, just the right amount of tone “enhancement” as in, more of each instruments natural tone, not imparting it’s own tone. Simple controls that are easy to dial in. It is an always on pedal for me. I’m also enjoying the new Diamond Comp, but it’s a very different animal and not what I would consider transparent. From your list I would probably pick the Empress. Haven’t tried the Broughton so no opinion on it. Didn’t care for the Opto Comp.
I also have an eye on the Diamond, it’s a Montreal company near me. But I’m not sure what power adapter is needed. 9V or 18V? Center polarity negative or positive? 9V center negative is widely available, not the others. And just looking at the dials it seems more a tone pedal than a compressor. But it is highly regarded.
The consensus seems to be 18v because it provides more headroom, but there are some who are quite happy running it at 9v. It does have an EQ, but you don’t have to use it.
I have passive bass guitars only, so 9V should be fine if I understand correctly. 18V might be more useful for active basses or otherwise hot signals.
On light settings I love how the Ampeg OptoComp brings the bass out front in the mix.
Cali76 compact didn’t make the list? I like the HPF and the dry blend. I find it super easy to use.
I’m also a diamond fan.
I’m also a diamond fan.
Broughton Omni is the only one from your list that I’ve tried, and it’s a great comp. flexible controls, subtle but wonderful tone enhancement, and despite having only one LED for metering I’ve never had any issues dialing it in.
i had the old big box Diamond bass comp years ago and didn’t really like it. I found it overly coloured leaning towards muddy. I would be curious to try it again though, now that it is in a smaller box, but these days I really prefer comps with a dry blend.
i had the old big box Diamond bass comp years ago and didn’t really like it. I found it overly coloured leaning towards muddy. I would be curious to try it again though, now that it is in a smaller box, but these days I really prefer comps with a dry blend.
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I like the combination of multi position switches (compression and EQ curve) and dials on the Empress. It’s versatile but still easy to use. It’s easy to find starting points that sound good using the switches and dial in from there.
I got the Empress yesterday and yes, I just used the “Warm and smooth” setting in the quick start guide and it produces a (surprisingly) marked enhancement in clarity, articulation, and distinct harmonic richness, and I already have a Broughton HPF/LPF downstream. I have the Broughton Omnicomp on the way and will want a third, either another Empress or Broughton but I’m seriously considering the Diamond, made right here in Montreal.
I’ve been through a few comps. Cali76 colored the tone too much. Keeley was just okay and a little featureless. The Empress does what it’s supposed to do. I dig the meters and the fact that it’s transparent. Really helps the bass cut through a live mix.
The Diamond requires the same power as all the ones in your list.
However I would highly recommend running it at 18v, as well as the Broughton. The Empress and Ampeg will only run at 9v.
If you are limited to only 9v, get the Empress.
You could also do like me and create the best compressor ever made...Empress in to Broughton 
I have the Empress and the newest Diamond....have had the prev Diamond iteration and the Ampeg but not the Broughton.
If I had to keep only 1 it'd be the Empress, because the metering, low freq sparing side chain and mid boost toggle make it the most musical and the easiest to dial in with any of my basses/ setups. The last consideration can be pretty major if you enjoy switching between various basses/ other effect pedals. The Ampeg is a relative bargain and can sound excellent but unless added features and flexibility don't interest or scare you, it's clearly a less capable box. The Diamond is also a great comp and easy to dial in, but the metering of the Empress pushes it far over the top for me.
If I had to keep only 1 it'd be the Empress, because the metering, low freq sparing side chain and mid boost toggle make it the most musical and the easiest to dial in with any of my basses/ setups. The last consideration can be pretty major if you enjoy switching between various basses/ other effect pedals. The Ampeg is a relative bargain and can sound excellent but unless added features and flexibility don't interest or scare you, it's clearly a less capable box. The Diamond is also a great comp and easy to dial in, but the metering of the Empress pushes it far over the top for me.
The Empress Bass Compressor (and MKII) uses an internal boost converter to turn the 9V power input into 16V of headroom, so it can keep up just fine with its 18V colleagues.
Thanks Mike! Yeah I didn't mean to imply that running at only 9v was a bad thing. Like you said it doesn't NEED any more
Broughton explicitly states that there is no difference in Omnicomp performance between 9V and 18V.
I didn't vote because the only one I've tried is the Empress. It does exactly what I want so I haven't tried anything else.
Gratuitous picture of my pedals.
Gratuitous picture of my pedals.
