So.....why is this instrument worth $1k+?

[Quantium]

Just curious. Now, I have owned a TR88 before, so I'm not just ranting here. I understand that it's just coming out next month. One time I opened up my TR just to see what the electronics looked like. I was very surprised that there's actually less PCB in an $1,600 keyboard, then a $600 PC. I don't get it, what is it we're actually paying for? The brandname? I mean, it's 2008 already (almost 2009), and these boards ONLY come with 256MB of sound data? At this time and price, shouldn't they come with atleast 512MB to 1GB of sound data STOCK? Or maybe if KORG doesn't want to bother, giving the boards 1GB of total data storage, have 512MB used for stock sounds, and give us the other 1/2 to use on what we want. Is data RAM really that expensive? I coulda swore it was only a couple bucks a stick lately on Newegg.
Is it the shiny, metal cover? Surely not the fake, plastic keys? Does it really cost KORG that much to put a damn 4" ribbon controller on a keyboard? Why aren't those stock? Is it import taxes to ship them in from Japan? Also, since it isn't 1996 anymore, why aren't all the "real" instruments sampled? And I mean, ALL OF THEM. From experience, the saxophone on my TR sounded AWFUL, it sounded like something off a $50 Radio Shack Casio keyboard or something. I'm not trying to sound negative here, but there's just alot of things that don't make sense to me. Now, I have NO problem at all paying good money for a quality instrument, and these days, all that's different usually is the "guts" of the board. The majority of the other combi's on my TR were nice, and I like KORG products, but I'd like someone to help fill me in here.

[demonp]

Hello Quantium!
I had these questions many times before. And here is what I found. There are synth categories. I think you know it also. Let's take just 3 - they are budget synths, budget workstations, and professional flagship workstations. These are most usual. Flagship workstation contains most functions, better keys, better case, more features, more (better) sounds. But of course everybody knows that just a little percent of people will actually buy it. Here comes a budget workstation (like TR). This is a cutoff of flagship. And here comes the manufacturers cruel fantasy - which functions should be cut down.
Also here come a customer (why these functions are cut?). Customer is right in his way because the raw materials for production are getting cheaper. But if you think with the manufacturers' cruel mind you will never put ribbon controller to a cheap model because in this case no one will buy flagship.

About the price: Instrument whatever it is always will be expensive.
Why not more and more and more? There are always innovations in synths. But think with manufacturers' cruel mind: what will I do in 2010 if now I give 1GB of ROM? It will be very expensive to develop another 1GB.
Here comes the musician: 1GB of rom!!!! Cool, actually I will use 100 megs of it! Why should I pay for 900 another useless megs?
90% of ROM price are for developers and ROM is what makes a company famous!

Look at the prices of software synth. They are sampled well and sound almost (or better to say really) like real instruments. EX: EWQL goliath - 877 USD - 40 gigs of beautiful voices. Also need some effects - lets take cheaper thing about 250 USD. And now comes the hardware: Macbook Pro 2000 USD? Whatever windows notebook? Oh, a soundcard! Let's take it cheap 300 USD - USB interface. Still need some DAW application. Just forgot a midi keyboard, monitors (headphones) and cables and software gliches and crashes.

The list is long the end price is high. So for 1K+ you get software-hardware, playing and recording, stable working solution. Is that a really big price?

[Synthoid]

I was very surprised that there's actually less PCB in an $1,600 keyboard, then a $600 PC. I don't get it, what is it we're actually paying for?

Keep in mind that computer manufacturers sell hundreds of times more PC's than Korg sells keyboards. Also add in product R&D, which adds cost to any keyboard.

[Xenomorph]

I feel that anything around a grand is actually a pretty cheap way to get into playing keyboards and when the prices are that low, I don't even bother asking why it may cost more or less compared with other devices, be it software or hardware. I'm suprised that the M50 starts out at $1,100.00. I'd pay around 1,300 - 1,400.00 for the smallest one in all honesty. The price it sells for makes it a no brainer in my opinion.

I'm still debating whether to get an used Extreme or the new M50. I'll wait till December or January until I jump, reviews from members here will no doubt help make up my mind.

Oops, got off topic a but, I apologize