I haven't had much experience with anything but the firepod pres but they've gotten me by pretty well for just a hobby studio for little demos.
Since I've been trying to get a more professional sound I am not so fond of the unit.
I have two firepods daisy chained together that I am going to use for live recordings. I was just curious if I would benifit from having a mixer or should I spend that money elsewhere. I am doing it as a hobby right now, with the intent for it to be a side job in the future.