Well, I guess I'll throw my hat in the ring with some initial thoughts. As always, I write the way i talk - too much.
Compressor history: MXR M87, Smoothie, Diamond BCP-1, PWNZOR. Currently have a FEA Opti-FET and a recently acquired Cali76 CB. I gave a lengthy comparison of the Diamond & FEA
here. I felt like the Cali76 was an obligatory purchase since it's considered one of the best in that upper tier of pedal compressors. It's understandable why it's seen as such, and there are plenty of standalone reviews for those who need a refresher.
The first thing that struck me after dialing in the Compact Bass and comparing to the Opti-FET, is how fat and punchy the FEA remains through a range of low to medium compression. The FEA is more tweakable, which comes at the cost of more board space. With that said, it makes the Opti-FET more capable of fine tuning than the Compact Bass. A run down of the controls is probably helpful to see how they compare:
- The Cali 76 "In" is equivalent to the FEA's "threshold".
- Both have a "Ratio" knob, although the Cali76 apparently starts at 4:1 where the Opti-FET starts at 1.5:1 according to a review in BassPlayer. (I would defer to @boomertech on this.)
- The Cali76 and FEA have "Out" and "Gain" (respectively) to balance the output volume.
- The FEA (IMO) has a significant advantage with the independent Attack & Release, which is combined on the Cali.
- Finally, they both have incredibly useful sidechain EQ features. Again, the FEA has the advantage with 3 bands where the Cali76 has the single HPF for the low end. With that being said, they both work extremely well and improve the tone shaping for each pedal. These are crucial to avoiding unwanted attenuation.
After flipping my Smoothie (which i loved), I was oddly convinced that I didn't want or need a "dry" knob on compressors, as it sometimes makes things sound unbalanced and mushy if used poorly. That said, I think it's an essential feature on the Cali76. When I started comparing the two I had the ratios both set in the lowest 15-20% of the range, relatively slow attack and fast release times, and side-chains set so that the lowest notes on E weren't causing over-compression and attenuation of the highs. The input/threshold was set to trigger compression for a second or so beyond the attack, without slamming the front end and getting unnatural amounts of squish or sustain. This was giving my jazz bass some nice added pop on the attack, and a bit more evenness and punch from the strings, especially when playing near the bridge. I hate when compressors roll off highs, and both of these do a nice job of maintaining crisp top end and bite without sounding harsh. (Note: I only have the first "warm 1" switch engaged on the Opti-FET, so it is running on the cleaner side of it's capabilities without the high-end rolled off via the dip-switch.)
The goal was to compare the purely compressed signals, and this is the biggest difference between the two compressors to my ears. With no dry signal dialed in to the Cali76 the FEA sounded a bit thicker through the lows and low-mids compared to the Cali76. The volume was the same, but the FEA sounds fatter to me. This is not to say that the Cali76 is thinning things out. In fact, it may be that the Cali76 is a slightly more balanced from lows to highs. They both bring some added roundness and fatness to your signal, but the Cali76 is more about precision, clarity, and even response across the strings. In comparison, the Opti-FET wants to bring some more character to the table. It's very subtle, but it's certainly audible when you have them side by side. The other major thing I noticed is that the Cali76 seems to have a more audible and distinct 'pop' to the attack, which is often described in reviews. I can still get the bite I want in my attack from the FEA, but to my ears this sweet attack and even response is what makes the Cali76 such a nice compressor. I will say that the FEA is more my flavor after some initial testing. I liked the magic of the Diamond, but wanted something more subtle. The FEA offers that, along with first-class compression, where the Diamond really falls short.
Dialing in some dry signal with the Cali76 was worthwhile, as it starts to open up the lows and introduce some more sizzle into the attack. This gets it closer to the fatness of the FEA's lows & mids, but the overall sound gets more open and loses a bit of that focused punch that you get from the fully wet/compressed FEA signal. For those wanting that parallel compression, the Cali76 does a beautiful job of it. If, however, you want some tone-magic and harmonic fatness, the FEA may be more your flavor. They both have incredibly low noise-floors, so that's a wash. I think the Opti-FET's X-factor is in that really subtle thickness. It seems like the more I turned up the volume on my amp, the more I could hear/feel that extra warmth and presence in the low-mids. All that said, I'm splitting hairs and will be happy with either - or both. Can I keep both??
The shorter version:
The Cali76 adds a nice little pop and sounds impressively even across the spectrum. If I wanted a precise, crystal-clear compressor that could tighten things up and round things out without getting in the way, I would go with the Cali76. It's also a bit easier to tweak on the fly.
The FEA is a great choice for those wanting studio-esque compression with options to add some subtle and incredibly tasteful warmth/color. It feels like the Opti-FET is somewhere on the spectrum between the Diamond and the Cali76. It doesn't get in the way, but it does impart a hint of character that complements my basses' natural sounds while tightening everything up a bit.
