Get er done !

[tylodawg]

Exactly. The general guide for me is, the less I think about the pre, the better it is. Similar to tape (when I used to use it ...) When I get bored and try most "tape emulator" plug ins, I'm perplexed as to what comes out. It's like they think it's a guitar amp or something.
(except Slate's, I like that tape plug in)
re: Ethan, While I didn't like that video, for the most part, I don't jump on the "Ethan is Satan" train. He can be a dick sometimes, but hell, so can I. But overall, seems like an OK guy. (not great - OK). He is very active and helpful with people building their own contraptions that competes directly with his products he sells, so that's a cool thing.
He just doesn't know dick about recording. No sin there, I just wish he didn't profess himself as an "audio expert". That's where he gets into trouble. Because, well, he aint.
But he did provide a lot of entertainment on the Womb, so points for that.

Couldn't resist.

[John Eppstein]

As opposed to not letting making music interfere with endleswsly playing with gear.....

Playing with gear is too hard though. You have to get up and plug stuff in. Nightmare! I'd rather sit in my desk chair, input some "note data", and mess around with plugins in an attempt to make it not sound like what it is!

These days the "gear" might be a mouse...

[keks]

When I first got my Daking pre, I though it'd be some sonic epiphany. It's wholly unremarkable.

Yeah.
I had the same experience whenever I came across great gear for the first time.
There were more details and more depth, which kinda felt relieving.
I could judge better, what I was doing.
But otoh it never sounded "better" in any way that I would have expected.
All this hypey marketing mumbo jumbo is, well, hypey marketing mumbo jumbo.

Stuff works.
Or it requires workarounds.