like wowzers!

since the emergence of romplers and va synth (or if you will: analog modelling synths), there’s been much debate over how they sound.
after the initial much justified awe - that the synths are smaller, lighter, have practically unlimited polyphony, lack the tuning/temperature issues of their analogue counterparts - came the argument that they sound thin.
funny how things change: right now VAs turn out to be sought-after and well coveted instruments in their own right. synths like the ms2000 featured in the post below, the yamaha an1x or cs1x, access virus or early novation instruments (x-station, xio synth) actually sound good and not necessarily paper thin. of course they lack the width and warmth, but then again this makes them easier to manage in mixing tracks. they just fit better, because there are fewer electric artifacts. and right now, finding an ms-2000 on ebay i probably harder than seeking out a mono/poly or other truly analog classic…
the current situation is mostly due to the microkorg’s immense success - even though it fits the definition of a rompler all the way (pre-recorded sound base, that stretches far beyond the basic single cycle waveforms; limited tweaking capability), it really does sound good! and even though the first micro lacks usb connectivity, it’s still very flexible. and did i mention it’s cheap?:)
now the funny thing is, there’s really nothing new under the sun: the contemporary va/romplers have the same features as their older counterparts, they sound the same but somehow only the older ones are considered decent and not paper-thin. and i cannot comprehend why. what’s so appealing in the 90s romplers that makes them so much better-different? is it the lack of usb? is it their larger size and weight? or what?