I highly doubt anyone here is going to prefer using the R-09HR's gain instead of the high quality preamps I mentioned above. I suppose you never know until you try it for yourself, though.
I think I can agree. No one that has invested into some extra gear to carry around will easily admit that a simpler setup sounds quite OK.
But I am not talking preferences.
I am talking numbers.
Just some verifiable performance stats. SNR, linearity, THD, etc, etc.
I don't claim to have golden ears.
I just listen and think it's OK or perhaps better than the R-09.