I'm the other half of the equation--I traded the 9000 for the PA80. SO FAR, I much prefer the guitar sounds on the 9000, and of course the ease of operation. The weight was a big reason I changed. I love the harmonica on the PA. The saxes are good, the brass is good. No complaints other than I'm still tweaking guitars looking for something that approaches the LiveE guitar on the 9000.
The harmonizer on the 9000 is MUCH better.
I am enjoying the joystick on the PA80 a lot more than I thought I would. The sequence players are better on the PA--and it recognizes .kar files. The 9000 includes video output, which is an option on the PA. Sampler not available on the PA.
Like Dave says, it all depends on your needs!
DonM