Hi Tom and all,

Actually, Nemesys' site has a number of reviews on-line: worth a look, if any of you haven't been:
http://www.nemesystech.com

Also, worth visiting the user infopop bulletin board to see the issues users are dealing with.

Yes, the XV-5080 is not a sampler, but has sample playback capabilities with Roland s-7xx and Akai S-1000/3000 libraries.

I think most users see the value of using libraries of samples, rathr than making their own: that is why Giga has adapted Vitous collections, etc. Face it: pros are probably going to create a better collection of samples than most users ever could.

No doubt, Giga 160 looks cool, but be prepared to get over a steep learning/technical issue curve to get it to do what it promises. Their own site discusses what a technical challenge they face to reduce disc access latency to the point where it is musical. I think I'll wait a bit to see where it ends up, before diving in. It no doubt may be the 'wave of the future', but I'm not sure if the 'future' is here (without throwing boatloads of cash on PC hardware)...

By contrast, the $1,750 (delivered) XV-5080 allows you to be up and running quickly, esp. if you're already familiar with the JV/S-7XX line. Add 128MB RAM ($115), some interchangeable JV/XV cards, some sample CD-ROM's, and it sounds even better!

Regards,
Chris