cgiles,
Yes, I beleive you are right on...

I love playing the arranger, as used to play organs that were the pre-arrangers of today.
Yamaha HS-8 anyone?

Take me for example. I am not a PRO, but I am a perfectionist. I play at home and sometimes with others or out to entertain very occationaly. I don't make my living with music...HOWEVER, I have and have owned true PRO workstations like my beloved Kurzweil (you talk about sound quality!)Tyros 2 and Korg PA2 (T1 and PA1 before that)

I want absolute great realistic sound quality. When I play solos with sounds like trumpet, flute, sax, clarinet, violin, oboe, horns of all kinds, strings of all kinds, guitars...etc. I want and expect for a $3500 keyboard (if it was $795 I wouldn't expect so much), whether it is a arranger or a synth to have great sound.

No screwy stuff like different vibrato speeds on notes (especially right next to each other) Noise on strings above C5, weak sound on upper octives, different sounds on the same instrument caused by a bad sample streched over 5 notes etc, etc.

I mostly play slow music, so these issues will ruin a performace sometimes. If you only play the fast stuff.... you probably won't here most of the problems.

While the PRO synths are not perfect either.. they are must better.

Personally I would love to have less number of sounds and have them all done as well as the technology allows.

If I had my way I would have a top of the line Korg OAS 76, or a Yamaha Motif XS 76, or a Kurzweil PC3 76........WITH THE YAMAHA arrange features (smooth baby! very refined)and Korg's programability (especially the style creation and songbook).

So, which compromise is the best... depends on the individual.

Anyone want to go into business with me to creat this animal? :-)

Lee