First, thanks to Chris Del Faro for his tip on the "clearance sale" at PMI
Audio on the VTB-1.

Everything is going through a Soundblaster Live at the moment. The first
standout difference is that the VTB-1 is a LOT quieter. I'm going by an
essentially seat of the pants comparison going by the noise level observed
at the setting required by each to get a similar recorded volume. If nothing
else, this will make possible some guitar sampling that I didn't feel I'd be
able to do with the BlueTube without some fairly aggressive noise removal
which also kills the sound somewhat. I don't think I'll have to touch
samples made with this.

Other than the noise level, which is obviously a huge factor by itself, I
don't know that I've used it enough to definitively conclude whether it
sounds "better" than the BlueTube, I would say it sounds different. My
initial impression is that it does handle the trumpet sound better, even
though it doesn't have a pad. Doesn't seem to need one. I've tried it with a
Marshall MXL 1006 and a Shure RS-130 Dynamic from Radio Shack. (Sounds a lot
like a Shure Beta 57-A I used to have, but at 1/3 the price).

It seems to me that the "tube" function doesn't seem to do much. I did an
A/B comparison with SoundForge with 2 short segments of me singing with the
Tube off and then cranked. I can only really hear it when it's cranked and
even at that the difference is subtle. I almost wonder if there's something
wrong with the unit....or is that just the way they are? The Presonus Tube
effect is much more marked, however it also adds a lot of noise when you
turn it up. On the VTB-1, I don't hear *any* added hiss with the tube
effect. And to be honest, I'm not sure how much use I'd actually put it to.

Not that it's a big deal but the other thing about the VTB-1 is that the
level meter isn't as progressive as the one on the BlueTube. Each segment
covers a wider range of volume.