Well,
I've been hanging back from posting some thoughts while waiting for more info. from Diamond, but since I don't yet have it...here goes.
First, important to share how I use a compressor in my rig:
Compressor is the first FX in the chain -all others follow. I use compression to smooth peaks and add a bit of sustain. I don't use a heavy compression and expect a "neutral" tone coming from my compressor (tone in = tone out). That qualifier out of the way...here goes:
My MEMORY of the Demeter was that its compression effect was subtle but effective with a bit of "warming" coloration to the overall tone. Operation was quiet and neutral to the noise floor, but effective in smoothing out my overall sound.
As mentioned before, I no longer have the Demeter, so I've got to post this based on memory, NOT comparison to other pedals. I had no issues with the Demeter. The only reason I parted with the Demeter was to see what other compressors might be like.
Currently, I'm in the process of comparing the Maxon CP9 Pro+ compressor to the Diamond optical compressor.
Initial thoughts...
Maxon CP9 Pro+...
The Maxon is very flexible and an amazing compressor. It delivers a very neutral sound and compresses as much or little as you choose with great control ability. It does add a bit of hiss to your signal chain (please know that I've observed this by practicing under headphones. In a live setting, I'm not sure this would matter much, but the hiss is there...even with gain on the Maxon set at 8:30). Tone coming out is same as the tone going in...just what you would want...allbeit a bit of a clinically precise sound. I won't use the word "sterile" but this pedal truly adds NOTHING to your sound. If that's your thing, this is your compressor. Note: because this compressor steps 9v up to 18v, I had power problems with it when powering up my Dunlop DC Brick power supply. The Dunlop would not power up with the power draw of the Maxon, but would run OK if I powered up my pedal board first, then plugged in the Maxon. This might be OK for you, but I found it to be a P.I.T.A. and a disappointment for such an expensive pdeal.
Diamond...
Waaaayyyy clean sound with almost ZERO noise added under headphones and in live operation (much less than the Maxon...but again, these are small degrees of difference but be assured that the noise floor here is absolutely lower!). Easy to dial in compression to taste and the EQ sweep knob is excellent to ensure that you get the tone you want. I should note that the Diamond EQ does alter the sound (vs. dry) somewhat by adding what sounds like a band of low/mid boost, but I found the small add to low/mid freq. to be a good add...you may not. If you don't like it, you can disable the tone knob via. a toggle switch inside the pedal. Either way, you can adjust for this with the tone controls on your bass or amp. From a little compression to a lot, this compressor gets it done in a very clean and quiet way and the dual LED light is useful in telling you when the compressor is engaged. This pedal is nice for smoothing the sound for sure (my primary application). I found this pedal best at 18v operation for my (very hot) Bongo bass preamp vs. 9v....YMMV, but 9v wasn't as "clean" a sound overall. My one issue with this pedal is a very slight low frequency "suck" on my E and B strings (worst on "B"). This is slight and most noticeable under headphones. When I play live, I don't miss a thing.
The good folks at Diamond have a bass mod they'll do for you to eliminate the low freq. loss I note above. That mod will run you $50 U.S. plus return shipping.
Hope you found this useful.
Cheers!
P.S. I'm also going to post this in a seperate thread.
