^^
I hear you Voltronic. I physically can't haul 50+ lbs of gear, batteries and a mic stand around anymore but I am reluctant to compromise on the pre's and not have the digi-in option. But that is my problem to deal with and I realize that.
Well based on what I heard, you wouldn't be making much or any compromise on that respect. To my ears, the pres are as good as Sound Devices 7-series.
^ I think this is about right...at least with respect to the earlier SD units. I did some pretty good a/b when I first got F8 and my opinion was that the internals are solid. External pre's such as PSP3 and VMS52 and VMS32 still sound a little bit better to me, but it's one of those things where if you listen to one sample and then come back 10 minutes later and listen to the other, I don't think you're going to perceive the difference. The Oade m118 (which is the 18V version of the M148) is pretty close.
David, if I had to guess, I'd guess that the F8 preamps sit between your portico and the older version of the Sound Devices. The sound is warmer and less brittle than the SD sound, yet without a hint of muddiness or breakup. The detail is still there. I understand that the 788 has improved preamps though so I can't really say about that comparison.
What's interesting to me about your comment is that I haven't read any on-line reviews that haven't given the internal preamps other than F8 sparkling reviews. I kinda thought my own feeling that they are quite good, but not sparkling kinda put me in an opinion by myself. Admittedly, I'm REALLY picky about my sound. So, I'm curious if your comment above is based on my review comments or have you read someone else's opinion that preamps aren't the sh**?
Oh and to add...I personally haven't inquired about mods. I'm an external preamp nut and don't see myself changing until I find an all-in-one that i think sounds as good as my vintage VMSs (which could well be a SX-R4+ or 788 or 4MINx but I'm not spending that much).