I think the picture painted here is too black-or-white. I totally agree with Richard Clews on his upper comment that this synth - like most other things that really gets you hooked more on it´s fascination than on it´s musical value - could be a burden.

It´s was too big and heavy, could be troublesome - and if it did not not stay in tune - forget it!

Secondly, you may end up with a piece of gear that does more to your fantasy than to your music.

I did own a CS60 before I got this machine. Let´s face it, people. The Yamaha CS-series were all rather WEEK sounding. This is the truth. The CS60 with it´s single layer of sound could sound pretty awful, and some of the presets were quite terrible and impossible to use - like the Electric Piano. And with the CS80 you just doubled up...Maybe if you added some effects...

Anyway, I was quite disappointed with my CS80. Maybe because I did not - though I am a piano player - have the technique to play this beast with it´s agreeably astonishing touch sensitivity.

Definitely the keyboard with the velocity and touch sensitivity is a masterpiece, but it deserved a better basic sound...

Maybe my disappointment was due to the fact that my instrument was a bit out of tune between the oscillators, I have heard that tuning with this instrument is crucial for the sound.

Then again...

At times it could sound amazing. Then you absolutely had to use an effect, like an outside chorus/echo, this was a must. Also, with the right amp and speakers it could sound massive.

Conclusion - like with anything - it does not depend on the gear you have if you make wonderful music. If you have the music inside you already, like a Stevie Wonder, then the gear does not matter at all. A CS80 could sound like paradise. Then again, so could a mouth organ...

L. Smith

The CS80 cost 7 grand when I first laid my much younger hands upon one at Ace music in Miami back in 1979, which makes it about 23K in todays dollars, and you are moaning over a wonder that cost less than a Fancy dinner with your favorite Gal/Guy.

I KNEW Eddie Jobson when he had a small post room upstairs at Magnolia studio's in Burbank back in 1996.......and If he even flips the Arturia on now and again, thats more than good enough for me....and, off point, but Analog Factory is by far the best bang for your buck VI to come out in a very long time (especially the reloaded version)

You cynics will eventually make these smaller but brilliant companies like Arturia not even try to make these wonderful tools for us, and then all the nit-picking will have gotten us to a smug place of utter silence.

Lets support these companies that are at LEAST trying for greatness (if anyone has demo'd MOTU's DP5.1 four "New" VI plug ins you'll know what i mean. they are utter crap)

Viva La Arturia!!!

If you ask me, if professional musicians like Eddie Jobson (who used real CS-80 since they were new) now uses CS-80V and is happy with it, then I would trust his word over some opinions from the internet (which are almost always based on hype). I don't think he's shilling for Arturia, I think he's giving is real opinion which I respect.

Most professionals want to use modern gear and don't want to lug this big unreliable beast around anymore. It's best left to the collectors and bedroom tweakers.

how can a cd version be of any real excitment or treated as (the real thing)??....it simply isnt until you actually play one of these you just are not even half way there!!..

a marvellous synth with a few little hiccups at times but well worth the clitty tingling feel of playing it.....halfway to paradise is playing a real one........paradise all the way is having it in your house and playing with it lol.