If you want both accompaniment and excellent sounds with very good capabilities for changing/processing the sounds for abt 2000 dollars, I would vote for
1. Yamaha ex-5 (76 keys) + korg i40m module (if you primarily use a synth)
2. Roland g-1000 (76 keys) + yamaha ex5r module

Other contenders would be solton sd1, yamaha psr 9000, korg triton pro for keyboards and solton x4, triton rack for modules but they are pricey.

I would like to hear opinions on the best combo taking into account price, performance and features.

I know that yamaha psr 9000 pro takes expansion cards which can give analog sounds and varous others, but I haven't tried it out yet. What do others feel? I would be interested to know.

The two modules you have not included are the Solton X4 and the Generalmusic WK2. Both of these have better styles in my opinion than the korg i40m and the WK2 arranger with the Hard drive option and the included vocal harmonizer and guitar effects processor sells for under $1000.00. I like this module alot and you can program user styles which the Korg i40m can't do. We will also be selling next week the new WK2 oriental arranger module which will be the only dedicated oriental module with direct quarter tone buttons and arabic styles and sounds built in. For portability and good controller options I would also recommend the new generalmusic rPP7 digital piano. It features an 88 hammer weighted action, 64 voice polyphony, 48 sounds plus 444 generalmidi sounds via a midi input, a pitchbend and mod joystick, weighs a mere 40 lbs. and sells for $895.00. This would be another really good option for a really good and affordable keyboard/module combo at a really good price. I can think of other options as well, but this one would sell for under $2000.00 and give the player a ton of power. Add a pair of Yamaha YSTMS-50 powered speakers and you've got a great set up.
Regards,
George Kaye

How about the Karma? It is readily available for $1799. While not a conventional arranger, it does provide great autoaccompaniment. The Karma excels at ethnic music, coming with factory African, Latin, Indian, Indonesian (Gamelan), and Japanese autoaccompaniments. The Karma comes with the Triton sound engine. Both the sounds and the accompaniment can be tweaked in real time. Both the Triton engine and the Karma engine can be edited to create new sounds. (One of the little-recognized functions of the Karma architecture is the generation of Wavesequence-like sounds.)

The Karma accepts the MOSS option (much beter than the Yamaha VL and AN options) for great virtual acoustic and virtual analog sounds. In addition, there is room for two 16MB sound ROM expansions. Adding any of these options brings the price to above $2000, but you do not have to buy them up front.

The Karma does not come with vocal harmony, which I feel is unfortunate. However, you can add an outboard vocal harmonizer, like the VoicePrism. The external vocal harmonizer can then be controlled by the Karma function for some intriguing possibilities.