I have a PreSonus Tube-Pre (pre-amp) that I sample through a lot.
It really colors the sound, so you'll probably need to use it with an EQ, but on certain samples, it just gives it that extra "something."
i use firepods, and i like them except for the tiny knobs and the lack of 24/96 when you stack them. I use outboard compressors on the frontend so i dont know anything about their compressors.