Yo Dags! I owned an old twinQ and I now own a new twinQ. The "Joe Meek sound" referred to above came largely from selective distortion created by the optical compressor, and many people thought it was a pretty good vox box.
The new unit's compressor is a lot cleaner, like an RNC or similar. Judicious use of the compressor for limiting level can be very useful, but you don't use it as an effect like the old Joe Meek amps. My conclusion? The new unit doesn't have that Joe Meek sound, it's a whole different animal. I find the unit useful, but mostly for clean stuff. For what you want to do, learning to tweak sound going in (risky), the twinQ or Toft ATC-2 is a great learning tool. I'm using the twinQ for recording a burlesque revival, and a separate project of live Madrigals. It's not a bad pre for remote stereo recording, more expendable than the Avalon. There are, however, many other channel strips, Focusrite et al. Many people would spend a grand on a pair of Grace 101's. Consider what it is you want to record and then choose the tool. I use the twinQ a lot for voiceovers, radio plays. It isn't my best channel, but it's better than anything else I have- DMP-3, Digi002 built in, dare I say it? Behringer ADA8000. Some radio play require many channels. The twinQ is a workmanlike tool that has done what I have asked of it. It has rarely done anything great, and it has rarely sucked. Kinda like an SM57, if you think about it.
Best of luck with whateve preamp you choose.-Richie
