I'd say the Evolver Desktop's interface is far superior to that of the Poly Evolver Rack, so your right about that. But why not get a PEK and PER pair and then have the former's superb interface for programming both?
I've many times considered going Modal Instruments, but their exorbitant prices always turn me back. Plus, their rack version control panels seem anything but user-friendly, and they look like 1960's American kitchen appliances. I expect ice cubes to come out of the side. Regardless, they're all magnificent instruments, so I certainly respect your good taste.
I suppose you can adapt to anything if the sound is worth the trouble, but It's ideal if you can also enjoy the process of designing sounds.
I hadn't planned on this, but Perfect Circle Audio had a used 8-voice unit, the price of which I could not ignore; I've been looking for a wavetable + analog filter hybrid for a while, but could not spring for an 002 keyboard (had contemplated the 2-voice 001, adding the 002R later if the sound was any good).
The cosmetics are definitely an acquired taste
, though I still have an SEM (in off-white), so I'll manage. The Waldorf Blofeld keyboard (which I recently sold) had large swaths of un-knobbed white panel that stood out like a sore thumb.
The filter, by the way, is continuously variable from 4-pole low-pass -> low-shelving -> bandpass -> 1-pole lowpass, which is pretty interesting, all said and done, and strangely intuitive from a sonic perspective.
I'm also looking forward to trying out the MPE capabilities at some point.