Some of the XP-10's sounds are pretty good but, for the most part, none of them have any punch. The on-baord effects are okay, I guess, but the XP-10's CPU doesn't deal with your changing them very well. Many times the effects you add to one sound (delay, flange, etc.) will carry over into others and you have to reset the unit. Frustrating!

The unit itself feels very fragile as it's made of light plastic. The keys are very thin and bouncy--the action is about the same as my nephews $45 Barney keyboard. (Unfortunately, some of the XP-10's sounds aren't much better either)

If you're considering purchasing this keyboard, please think twice. You'll be a lot better off spending just a little more money. And for God's sake, go play one before you buy! I wish I had. Unfortunately, I'm overseas right now and went for the value "hook" Musician's Friend threw out. So, as it stands, I'm stuck with the XP-10 and looking to buy another synth.

The XP-10 has (I believe) two real uses: entry-level synth and someone (like myself) who relies on it for live performance almost exclusively (I still do most of my writing and recording on my old W-30 chestnut). Live performers will appreciate the lightweight body (though it feels about as durable as a pinata), X-dual function for quick program layers on the fly, and 75% of the sounds (notably, the acoustic-ish instruments) are quality stuff. Patch editing isn't really necessary in my situation, but there are plenty of user spaces to save my little tweaks. I use it live with a Korg N5, which is similar to the XP-10 (unexpandable, but lots of cool sounds and dynamic controllers), and both make up for each others' shortcomings (Korg's acoustic sounds, Roland's synth sounds).

All in all, a great value and cool-sounding instrument.