Sub $700 Synth Shootout

With so many synthesizers in the $700 and below market niche, it's time for a side by side comparision. What are the pros and cons of each? Which did you buy, or which would you buy if you could only have one?

I've limited it to keyed synthesizers without speakers, and those in current production.

Here's the list:

Alesis: QS6.2, Ion, Micron

Korg: X-50, Micro X, R-3, MicroKorg

Kurzweil: KME-61

Novation: X-Station (All) XioSynth (All)

Roland: GW-7, Juno D, SH-201, E-09

Yamaha: MM6, S-03

If I've missed any, just add them in.

I recently bought the MM6. I also owned the Roland RS5.

I needed something portable and cheap. I am totally blown away by the MM6. It has the exact same pianos as the original Motif series. Some voices are also the same as the ES. I bought it for less than $500. It also has a sequencer built into it, but its not nearly as capable as the MO series.

As for the Roland RS5, i got rid of it. The Korg X50 has some nice synths and pads, but the piano sucks. Also the X50 does not come with a sequencer.

The other thing about the MM6 which i liked is that you can use it as a jam box. Not only you can jam with it, but you can learn a lot from it...

Oh well...what do i know....i am a guitar player

Why isn't the Ion included with Alesis?

For me, the winner is the Korg Micro X. I've tried all the others hands-on at my local GC, but I own the Micro X. I can always find a usable sound and its super easy to make your own. It's really a great synth for people who don't need all the typical "bread and butter" type sounds like acoustic pianos and boring crap like that.

I also like the SH-201 by Roland., except I think it feels too plasticy. Plus I already have a JP-8080. Really what I want is a R3 to complement the Micro X.

Wow. I'm so glad the days of sifting through crappy hardware is over for me. $700 - are you kidding me? For that money, you could invest in a decent MIDI controller and a soft synth that will blow any of these so-called bargains out of the water.

does it have to be new? Because going used you can find synths that will blow those crap boxes out of the water...

Sorry, it's there now. I took the list from Musician's Friend, and they've discontinued the Ion. I just checked Sweetwater, and they still have them for $600.

Also, I'm well aware that you can get great used stuff and/or softsynths and controllers for well under $700.. I thought it would be cool to do something like a magazine where they get everything new available for a given price and compare them with a several professional testers.

Skunk3> I still have yet to try a Micro X. Can't wait to give one a whirl.

And thanks for the responces so far.

Apples and oranges to me, I dont like softsynths. Nor have I come across one that does what some of those keys can do. Maybe they do, they just dont have any appeal to me.

As for the keyboards listed, I have tried most of them ( havent tried Novation). I like the Kurzweil and it can be had VERY cheap. Its very limited though, but it sounds good. I cant deal with the microkorg and the baby keys. The Roland SH201 is pretty cool. I wasnt that impressed with the Juno-D, didnt sound as good as I expected.

I've had too many crappy Alesis products over the years, I boycott them. I dont like the QS6, I dont care for the sounds. Havent tried the others. I own the MM6 and the X50 and like both quite a bit. The X50 is an impressive keyboard for its price or any price. It has the most "usable" patches of any keyboard I have ever owned, hundreds of them and little filler. The mm6 has some great sounds as well but not that many and WAY too much filler. Still, its worth it for the pianos and guitars, and the keys feel slightly better than the X50.

Except that you ignored the cost of the computer!!!! OK, you obviously own a computer because you are posting here but if you need to invest in a computer dedicated for music use, then your $700 budget goes out the window.