Good points about pa systems, external amps, etc., guitpic. Everybody eq's them by their own ears to suit whatever room they're in, so there's a wide variation in the end product, too. In a way, it makes a kind of mockery of online demos, comparisons, and so on.

As usual, it's down to putting one's own hands on any given keyboard and, within one's preferences and budget, going from there. On the other hand there are many people who, without internet access, would never get to see or hear much at all of what's available. So the web does have its uses.