Bus Compressor Plugins - Faves?

So I'm running some demos of SSL-style bus compressors, and man, tough call! I figured the differences would be subtle at best, but I was surprised to find fairly noticeable differences among them.
 
I ran some drum/bass/electric guitar tracks into a submix then sent that into the various compressors, giving each the same settings (2:1 ratio, 30ms attack, auto release, set the threshold until I got about 2db of gain reduction) then level matched as best I could.
 
Man, I'm torn!
 
Cakewalk PC4K-S: sounds pretty good, although it doesn't seem to have as much character as most of the others.
NI Solid Bus Compressor: sounded pretty thin, actually.  (Strange, since I'm also trying out their VC76 and I'm really liking it)
Waves SSL Bus Compressor: punchy, little bit of midrange boost ("analog" button is on)
Cytomic The Glue: also quite punchy, seems to have a bigger low end
IK Multimedia Bus Compressor: again, punchy, and seems to boost the higher mids ("grit" button is on)
 
The Cake, Cytomic & IK have the HPF which is kinda neat, but the Waves really seems to have the best overall character, at least on this particular piece of music.
 
Figures, since that's by far the most expensive because apparently they don't sell it separately and must be purchased as part of the SSL 4000 bundle (which is currently on sale for $300 as opposed to the $750 price tag) or some of their other bundles, which are of course much more expensive.  The IK is $125 and Cytomic is $100.  And of course Cakewalk is free since I'm running SONAR Platinum. :)
 
By the way, I am looking for a "character" compressor, so while I could use Pro-C2 to do the job, it just doesn't have that "oomph" I'm looking for.
 
I guess right now I'd rank them as follows:
1. Waves
2. IK Multimedia
3. Cytomic
4. Cakewalk
5. Native Instruments
 
Any other recommendations I may have overlooked?

I can't say I've tried all of those but I do have NI's Solid Bus Compressor and Cytomic's The Glue and I have to say The Glue just walks all over it. Amazing sounding compressor and not just on buses. It really helps when you enable oversampling on it though.

A few more SSL-style models worth trying, depending on your tastes, platform, aversion to iLok, etc.:
 
Slate VBC (specifically, FG-Grey) (needs iLok)
SSL Duende (needs iLok)
DCAM Buscomp
UAD SSL Bus Comp and Precision Buss Comp (need UAD DSP)
Nebula: AlexB 4KD G.Comp
 
And for grins, don't hesitate to grab the free Nomad Bus Driver, which is pretty wild but can work great in a lot of cases -- try it on drums, bass, keys, etc.
 
Cheers,
Eddie
 

i like and use the Waves C1 on my master buss.

I've really grown fond of the Slate Virtual Bus Compressors. I often use it on my percussion bus and again on the full mix down before final limiting. All three have their own characteristics, but you can load all three at once with the "rack" option and easily try them all out. 

why don't you guys post some mixes that have these different comps....
turn em on, turn em off, and let us hear the differences.
 

Duende 
Alphacomp
Vertigo vsc2
VBC

+1 Klanghelm MJUC

dlesaux
Used to be The Glue, but now it's the NI Solid Bus Compressor..

Interesting. Must retry that juan.

streckfus
 
I get that Waves makes quality (and officially licensed) stuff, but MAN. So much more expensive than most competitors.  UAD charges hefty prices too, but at least with their plugs you're also buying DSP hardware!

You've gotta wait for a sale, which happens VERY frequently.
Go to audiodeluxe.com, create an account and you'll get emails on the sales.

Before deciding which to buy, I'd advise trying both yourself by downloading and installing the demos.  The Waves and IK SSL bundles are both worthy products, but there are many differences in sound, GUI, CPU usage, etc.  You many find that you prefer one over the other based on those factors.
 
BTW, the current sale prices may be closer than you think.  Waves SSL is currently available from Plugin Discounts for $215; similar deals can be found elsewhere.
 
Cheers,
Eddie
 

Don't ever pay full price for anything. They all have sales pretty often. Go to www.kvraudio.com and check the market place forum. You can save a ton.
For $40 TDR Kotelnikov GE is my favorite of all my compressors. At least try the free version...You could live a happy life with it alone.
Klanghelm is always a good bet. I own everything they have, and will never part with any of them. They have two excellent compressors. DC8C2 and MJUC. SDRR and VUMT are also worth getting.

Well, decided to jump on the sale and get the Waves SSL bundle. I wasn't even aware of the PluginDiscounts website...some good stuff on there!