Apart from that, there have always been different preferences. That's why you had Sequential and Oberheim players in the past. The same happened after the release of the Prophet-6 and OB-6.
To me, Oberheims have a very definite character. There's something very "Science Fiction" about the sound: you're in no doubt that it's coming from a synthesizer. And I like that.
Just before the OB-6 came out I got to borrow a friend's Prophet-6 for a week. A very nice synth, but it lacked the sort of defining character that I tend to find desirable. When the OB-6 was announced there was no mistaking the fact that it was a member of the Oberheim family and that gave it far more appeal to me. I just couldn't resist buying one, and I remain extremely happy with it.
You'll also find musicians and producers who always considered the Prophet-5 to sound particularly clean and neutral. Those typically tend to favor poly synths like the OB-X, OB-Xa, or the CS-80. I think Ty and Nick rather belong to that group. It may be, though, that the Vintage parameter can finally convince those guys, as it seems to introduce quite a lot of variance from voice to voice.
I've been listening to all the demos of the new Prophet-5 and I'd agree with the "clean and neutral" assessment. Everyone is going crazy about it and I'm feeling like I haven't been invited to the party
because I'm just not feeling any connection to the way it sounds. And it's not through a lack of "vintage" attributes, it's just the basic character is not for me. The same sort of thing is true of modern Moogs (Sub series, One) in comparison to the old modulars.
Now, if Dave and Tom decided to reissue the OB-X and got it as close to the original as the Prophet-5 Rev 4 is to the previous versions...
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