I see . If I've seen correctly then one needs to buy an expansion board to be able to connect a mic to the Motif ES , I think it's kind of silly that one has to buy extras for some very basic things as far as the Motifs are concerned .

Both the Fantoms and Tritons come with some sampling memory included ( more can be purchased) and both have a mic input .

I kind of like the Fantom X because it's kind of a middle ground between the Korg and the Yamaha in terms of sound and it has the things included which Yamaha deems should be sold separatly .

Yes it would probably be good only to buy from an established music retailer on E-bay .