"like so much" - never said that exactly!!! I find them, let's say, "adequate" - but 90% of the time, everything is tracked thru my VXP directly to XT20s, bypassing my board completely........
If I were to pin it down, I would say the VXP is smoother than the Mackie's pres, but both are clean-sounding, adding very little coloration. With the VXP though, you have the option of adding "warmth" by switching in the IDSS circuit.
Rip Rowan of ProRec also likes the VXP. Here's what he said:
Conclusion
As I continued to use the VXP over a period of weeks, the word I kept applying to it was "flexible." The VXP preamp is capable of sounds from transparent to colored. The compressor is capable of being very invisible and out of the way, or really squashing the snot out of a track. The expander and de-esser are practical and convenient. And the EQ is flexible, if not overly musical. The VXP's flexibility allows it to be safely used on more tracks without the fear of printing the same sonic stamp on everything.
The VXP also manages to pack a lot of functionality into a remarkably simple package. After all, we're talking about a mic preamp + compressor + noise gate + de-esser + parametric EQ + peak limiter in a package with only 12 knobs. It could easily have had 24 knobs. I like being able to plug in a mic and have the VXP ready to record in a matter of seconds. It's really easy to set up and go.
The PreSonus VXP is a Swiss Army Knife among preamps. If had to produce a CD with only one preamp, the VXP would be my choice. Like the Swiss Army Knife, it's not the very best at everything, but it's pretty damned good at a lot of stuff. If you're looking to buy a new preamp / processor, be sure to take a good look at the PreSonus VXP.