If anyone is considering an entry-level synth, like the Roland Juno-D, I'd strongly suggest spending 100.00 more (street) for the soon to be released Roland GW-7. In just comparing the specs, it seems to offer a lot more bang for the buck, and I'm seriously considering it as my travel\vacation instrument. It weighs just over 11 pounds, almost less than a third of the weight of my Fantom-S, and features some great World\Asian sounds (newly sampled and compare very favorably with the Asian\World sounds on my World SRX expansion board...I'm going by the sound demos on the Roland China site), along with all the standard Pop stuff. Even though the polyphony and the fx algorithms are identical for the Juno-D and GW-7, the GW-7 offers more Preset sounds and drum kits, as well as more User memory. You can also dramatically alter\shape the onboard sounds thru the Analog Modify function. The GW-7 has a much bigger display and is able to transfer data back and forth to a computer via USB. It also has an onboard 16 track MIDI recorder\sequencer which the Juno-D does not. The only other instruments I can compare it to are the Casio WK series but they are bigger\heavier, less polyphony, no USB, and just a 6 track sequencer. They are cheaper, offer SmartMedia and\or floppy storage, can play new sampled sounds and synthesize new sounds, have onboard speakers\amplificaion...but the GW-7 appeals more to my own particular needs. I really miss having an arranger keyboard for laying down quick tracks and the GW-7 just may fit the bill! I've downloaded all the audio\video demos and Quick Start manual from the Roland China site, which really helped, even tho' I don't speak any form of Chinese.

Michael