Graham,
You and I are on the same page my friend. I have always been asking why do the prices differ so much?

What makes the tools on an arranger (be it pro or semi-pro), more important to the user, than the tools on a synth to the synth junkie? We have functions on our synths that clearly stand out, yet the makers don't squeeze our pockets as much as they do in the arranger market.

The Roland Juno-G is probably the best current example of this. The spec list is unheard of if you really think about it. Not only is it a Fantom based sound engine with 4 element voice structure, 128 note poly, able to run multiple inserts--these are just a few of the features, but the beast has a 16 track midi squencer that is synced with an onboard 4 track audio recorder, and Roland didn't stop there. The Juno-G will let you "mixdown" internally. You can mixdown the midi and audio all within the unit--and use a list of available mixdown effects as well as insert effects on the audio tracks.

All those features in this little synth and it goes for the same price as a PSR-1500, and Korg PA-50--yet it rivals many of their features. Roland put a tag of $999.00 on this synth.

I think the makers have been squeezing the arranger market for many years. It's no disrepect to T2,G-70, and other semi-and pro arranger owners, but I think the price of $3,000 and up is an outrage! A Roland Fantom X6 is a great synth, with features that will rival the T2, but it's over $1,000 less.

Squeak