Interesting observations...It is difficult to "explain" why one prefers Roland or Korg sounds over the other, but the "naturalness of sound" theory may explain part of it! I was initially impressed by Triton's sounds, but after having played/heard them for several hours a day for the past month, I just don't like them as much as I do the Roland sounds, esp. those on the expansion boards. Specifically, the Korg strings sounds whistle too much, almost sound "windy", and are not enjoyable to play. Also, I love the Korg Pan Flute, but the sample on the Triton is noisy and "grungy" (with that same whistling noise), unlike on my M1R, which I had hoped to be able to sell now that I have the Triton. I enjoy writing and recording music and think sampling and "synthesizing" / editing sounds is a blast, but I also enjoy just playing and practicing using the presets and I get no pleasure from playing the Triton (plus I don't really like the keyboard feel/action).

I like the Triton for so many other reasons, especially for ease of use (namely in sampling), but I'm not "$2200 plus tax"-impressed, so I'll (kind of sadly) return it to the store.