The coloration of the 404's compression also sounds favorable compared to many other comps. Someone here recently did a TF on one which demonstrated it's characteristics. It's not flat, but it sure sounds good on a variety of sources.
Re: Drawmer dl441 vs bss dpr404, which to use on drums and vocals?
DPR404 is my #1 choice as a general purpose comp on any source. DL441 is not a bad unit either, but I suspect that it's gain reduction meter isn't that precise compared to a 404.