And therein lies the problem. All too often, we, as moderators, don't know who we're answering, or their current level of expertise and experience. We hafta deal in generalities, or get more information.
Over the last few years, I've tried to put myself into the shoes of a beginning hobbyist who has no intention of going beyond making a "decent" recording of his songs. That's the bottom rung of the ladder I'm addressing.
From there, you go to people that want to do full arrangements, using pre-made drum tracks and a few live channels.
Then, you have the next group that want to record their whole band, and produce a "commercial-quality" (whatever that means) CD in their house or garage.
Finally, you have the people that are ready to take on the commercial studios and offer their equipment/talent for hire.
Often, each of these groups will have different goals, needs, levels of expectation, and "one size doesn't fit all".
As moderators, it is our responsibility to try to address all these group's needs, but sometimes, there just isn't any "best answer".
Dave plays in a higher dollar market than I do. He believes in very high quality products for his studio and his choices have served him well.
So have mine, for the most part. I live in a lower priced market and I have a budget mentality. I look for cheap stuff that will serve my needs well. Brand names are less important here - size matters more. And results matter even more. If you can give them a great sound, it doesn't matter how you got there.
And maybe, that's our main difference of opinion, acorec. I'll still keep looking for little gems like the dbx 242, undervalued, and seldom discussed.