This is my first Empress Effects pedal and I'm pretty sure it's not gonna be the last one.
The building quality is very good...it's sturdy and solid..not just the case, but also the knobs etc.
It has many features that are not a surprise for me... In fact, they're some of the reasons that convinced me to choose this one...the wet/dry knob is one of them, but also all the "standard" compressor controls (attack, release, etc), and the input/GR meters.
What surprised me is the "tone colour" selector. I knew it was there of course, but I didn't imagine it could change the sound so much, and I think it's a very good thing to have different options for different situations and different instruments.
Oh, and it sounds amazing btw!! :)