Sound:
The sounds are AMAZING! A huge selection of usable patches, right from the start. I only use the factory sounds now, but I will buy the desktop editor and start playing with that. I give that a 9, mostly because there aren't enough quality guitars and brass sounds. I would have preferred more of those, rather than having all those strings available.
Feature:
It came with a nice sustain pedal and a power cable. Has balanced outputs, 3 pedal inputs, the build quality is incredible. I wish it had 9 rotary buttons, though, instead of five. Overall, I haven't seen another synth for that money which is so well made. The keys are fantastic to play, excellent balance between weight and speed for me. One of the best features are the drum pads - they have so many potential applications, and are way better than the ones is M3. It loses a point for the small screen, even though the OS makes it very easy to navigate around. I would have preferred paying $100 more for the Korg touch screens (but not for their OS, which is another story ...).
Ease of Use:
90 % of all sounds I will probably ever need are already there. Every program/setup is an inspiration, I just select one and the ideas start coming. As I said, the interface is pretty good, considering the small screen, but if you want to dig deeper, you will have to spend quite a lot of time learning all the options for tweaking (trust me, there are enough to keep you busy for a long time). I also wished it was easier to set up splits/layers levels, a simple mixer screen would go a long way. I hope the PC software will make things easier, however, editing sounds is not my first priority.
Quality:
It feels sturdy, with no creaking plastics (I am looking at you, Korg/Roland), and amazing keys. Get a nice case for it (even a soft one will do) amd you will have no troubles using it for gigs.
Value:
I got mine for $1500 + tax, which is amazingly cheap for what it offers. There's hardly anything else on the market which comes close to the sound and the quality of this instrument. There aren't too many 76 keys synths on the market in that price bracket (Juno Stage, M50, that's pretty much it), but the Kurzweil beats easily not only those, but also more expensive models. The only possible competition in terms of sound are some stage pianos, but with the PC3LE you get so much more than sounds.
Manufacturer Support:
I had my unit replaced, due to some firmware issue, but I got a new one right away, the store/distributor/manufacturer partnership is very good (I bought it from Canada's largest music stores chain).
The Wow Factor:
I love the blue color and the metal feel to it. The layout is very nicely organized. It is not as flashy as some other synths, but there is something to the design that no one else can beat.
Overall:
I am very happy with my purchase. Kurzweil support their products forever, the only major missing feature right now is the lack of effects chain editing, which I hope they will add at some point. Overall, PC3LE is a wonderful synth, an excellent next step for Kurzweil. I have some minor complaints about it, but nothing too big to be a deal breaker. Add in the unbelievable price, and there you have it - the best synth below $2000 on the planet.
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