describing it simply as a 2 stage or a 4 stage phaser is woefully inadequate. it does 2,3, and 4 stage phasing, but you should check out the demo videos it does so much more. it is the most wildly functional phaser on the market.I haven't played the Empress phaser, but very intrigued by this idea. Is it a 4 stage phaser?
I had one, great tone, tons of tweaking which with presets, really would help. Also, get rid of that awful dark green with black labels, you can't read any of it.