I guess I need to qualify my statements. When I say the Prophet '08 is "superior" to the Prophet-6, I'm speaking specifically of my individual needs. As I've said before, I don't want to follow a synthesizer, I want to lead it. Meaning, I want to have a generous supply of synthesizer fundamentals so that, when I'm designing sounds and composing music, I'm provided with the tools that will fulfill the moment's musical needs. In such moments, I don't want to be experimenting with features in the hopes of stumbling across something interesting, and I certainly don't want to be using the instrument as a source of inspiration. No, it works the other way around, so I want to have a set of basic necessary tools by which I can bring to life what I can already hear in my mind. Simply, the Prophet '08 provides very well for this; the Prophet-6, in spite of its own various strengths, could not. Each instrument offers a particular set of tools, and that set belonging to the P'08 works best for me.
As for the Prophet 12, I realize folks don't like to hear some of us say that it doesn't do analog well enough. But it's long been advertised as a bit of everything, and many owners claim that it sounds every bit as analog as the Prophet '08. I've read this a hundred times. So, the "misunderstanding" is understandable. My personal preference would have been that, if the P12 is digital, then let it be exceptional at digital; if it is analog, then let it be exceptional at analog. But it's a hybrid, so should we expect the mixed results? Personally, I don't think so, since the Poly Evolver's analog side still sounds far preferable to my ears than does that of the the P12. And that's based on the available video demonstrations compared side by side.