PROS: 128MB of ram, 64 voices, lots of differant filters, good sonic quality, 2 assignable outs. Operating system is pretty easy to use once you get the hang of it.

CONS: NO SYSEX!! Were they smoking crack???? You can't edit this beast from your computer becasue of that. Multitimbral setup is pretty difficult. using the "assignable" outputs (3,4) are hard as hell. No internal harddrive mounting bracket, and the power supply isn't powerful enough to even power a harddisk.

All in all, I think it's a great bang for it's buck, but you are getting the LOW END of EMU's line. I personally might keep this around.. Sometimes I lvoe it, sometimes i wanna toss it out the window. I would get an Akai S3000xl over this (price to price) because the akai has alot more features (mesa, 10 outputs, spdif, etc)..

Anyone even considering a sampler should just take the plunge and initially invest in this demon of a sampler. You can always upgrade the initially flimsy 4MB to 128MB (Got 64MBs on Ebay for $50.00).

Still, there are some reminders of the paltry amount that you invest in the ESI-200. For instance, a backup hard drive (Zip, etc) is crucial, as the undo feature does not work without it. Likewise, while the manual is very straightforward and concrete, it doesn't do much for helping you locate an affordable, compatible CD-ROM hard drive (you need the old school 50-pin centronics external HD)...their list is somewhat outdated, as most of their suggestions are hard to find (Once again, Ebay comes in handy).

This incredible machine is otherwise flawless for my personal needs; I only include the cons FYI. It's very user-friendly, and besides the usual carpaltunnel syndrome contraindications that arise with rack-mount samplers (check out the Yamaha 6000 for a rack mount with a detachable user surface...you will pay for it, though), the ESI-2000 is great for both professionals and novices alike.

BTW, you may not want to purchase the turbo upgrade. It does not include more memory, and most of the effects are rudimentary at best, considering that you pay almost as much for it as the initial cost of the sampler. Still, SPDIF in/output is a nice option for hardcore digital sampleheads.

Still earns the full 5 marks, and that says a lot.

What I like: SOUND - excelent - especialy on wind, bell, and piano sounds. The Sample CD's that come with it are quite useable. Filters: 19 types! (WOW I'm used to just 1 type) 2 sets of outputs. (That's all I realy need - one "wet" - to one of my efx / and one "dry". Ease of use: It's realy easy to use. Expandability: It was easy to add the ram. (It uses standard RAM - no weard modules or anything)/ It has a "turbo" option - user installable that adds 3 more stero outputs, digital i/o (S/PDIF) and somthing like 70 different effects. (I don't have this installed yet)

What I don't like: SOUND - some digital noise on the violin samples that came with it. Bays: I wish I could mount my disk drive (AND CD) INSIDE. You realy NEED a SCSI drive to do much of anything usefull. [as there is no flash ROM] You also need a SCSI CDROM to load the CD's that came with it. I had the disk and CD so it was not a big deal - but if you didn't it would be an additional expense you must include if you want to do any realy usefull stuff. Or I guess you could use your PC (with SCSI card) and a sample librarian.