True, the filters zip (it is clearly audible--can't miss it). However, I have rarely had so much fun programming a sound and getting such immediate results. I think it's a great little synth. It has its special place in a rig.

I am looking to acquire one, not as an all-purpose device, but for the special sounds it can produce. It has its niche. However, I AM waiting for the price point to drop. I won't pay $400 for one. However, as the price drops, I will eventually snag one. I clearly see a place for it.

It will not (it cannot) replace my pro-level synths. However, I WILL get one and I WILL use it for its unique pallette that it can deliver.

If you find hidden controllers and menus tedious, you will enjoy the SH-32. It has enough physical sliders and knobs to free the sound creation/editing process from creativity sapping menus. The SH-32 can’t be criticised for its sounds. They are varied, distinct and sufficiently sharp or fat when needed (the sub osc, compressor and part stack functions are useful). Nit-picking about the fact that the waveforms are samples is pointless. A spectrum analyser will tell anyone that the difference is tiny and clouded by the character of the other modules in the sound chain anyway. The SH-32 only loses points for its slight tendency to unpleasantly distort the sound before the output stage when using the filter with a 24 dB cutoff slope. One can avoid this problem with care. The envelopes noticeably slow down under medium to high loads also.

Synths are as much about dynamic and static sound structure within a note as about melody right? It takes a lot of practice to learn how to set and play each synth agreeably. With so many budget synths around, each with a different interface and spec, selecting one is like trying to choose whether to play a saxophone or a clarinet. Don’t trust any reviews that praise or criticise the SH-32 after only a few hours or days use. Some synths will give you a great sounding simple riff seconds after switch on. Fine if you want to use someone else’s ideas. I haven’t yet heard any Bachs or Bartoks whose music I want to play for myself. The SH-32 demands attention and familiarity but apart from the filter/envelope gripe is just as capable at creating fantastic music as any other synth. Well, the music I make is shite anyway but I know that this is my fault, not my tools! :)