Went with the 16 voice . . . bought it for live use primarily. I've had it for a couple of weeks now, and while it's sound didn't blow my doors off initially, it's rapidly growing on me (also own a P6, and that synth blew my doors off from the get go!). I must say, I was never a huge fan of the P08 sound or Curtis chip synths in general. I never owned a P08, but I am a former owner of a Mopho keyboard/Tetra combo . . . so I was at least familiar with the basic tonality prior to purchasing. Opted for the 16 voice for a couple of reasons. First of all, most of the sounds I really love require layering of the two engines. Secondly, for live use, I needed to be able to use it in split mode as two independent 8 voice synths. Like I said, it's really growing on me. Whether 8 voice or 16, it's a super classy synth! Well built, clearly laid out front panel, and a dream to program. This will be a workhorse for me.