Pros: Best synth engine on the market. This has been true of the K2000 since it's original release back in 1992. There is almost nothing that this board cannot do, except maybe vocode and arpeggiate. Everything else can be done with some work.

This board is the hub of my home studio, and I love it so much that I got a rackmount K2000RS to expand my capabilities. I looked at getting an A3000 or Emu ESI-4000, but for the same money I found the used K2000RS to be a better value to me, particularly because I've got 4 years invested in making KRZ files, both with samples and synth patches.

Next, I would like to give kudos to the Orchestral ROM. I've found these samples to be very usable. Most do not hold up against the Miroslav Vitous standard, but the K2vx also costs half of what that CD-ROM set does.

Now for the bad. Cons: Polyphony. Unlike Ryan (below) I have maxed out the K2000's 24-voice capability on almost everything I've done. Sustained string chords have been my nemesis, and many a time have I buffed out my scores to the point where the K2000 is begging for mercy, and is getting ready to start cutting off my favorite notes. Con number 2 is the overall construction. On my keyboard version, some of the buttons no longer function reliably. The "1" and "0" on the keypad are hurting, as is the down-arrow to the right of the LCD. My value wheel also occasionally skips, since the ratcheting mechanism has broken. Thirdly, my LCD hums and has dimmed over the last four years. I know the LCD fading problem is universal with the K2000 boards, but is supposedly fixed on the K2500s.

Overall, I give this board a 4. It will blow away the Triton and Roland XPs for certain, but it's not completely without faults.