[amagumori]

Yeah it’s a weird situation where I feel like a lot of the people who the OP-1 is aimed at either can’t afford it, period or aren’t going to pay $1300 on a “toy”. Because of its market positioning it ends up being this unattainable luxury item that only professional/ established musicians use, instead of a MPC-esque everyman’s tool. The “toy” design positioning and huge price tag work in tandem to keep it unattainable- it’s not that people can’t afford it (although a lot of people can’t afford it) but at the high price tag, people start seriously min-maxing what they’re getting for their money. People are really reticent to spend an entire paycheck on something that’s even somewhat limited, and possibly the best “feature” (the high level of polish in design and UX) is sort of invisible and not looked at as a utilitarian “feature”.

[sanitycheck]

I'm not going to try to defend this expensive radio thing, but regarding the OP-1 I don't think $1300 is an "unattainable luxury item", I'd reserve that label for something like a proper Leica camera.

There are plenty of ways to spend a lot more on a musical instrument - buy a decent saxophone, or a Moog One! I just found a ukulele online for $1500. The OP-1 seems overpriced because it's very small, but that's also the whole point of it.

[IvanGoneKrazy]

It's worth noting that the price of an OP-1 was much lower when it initially launched. I bought mine directly from TE for $850 + shipping + import duties. A re-launch of the product bumped the price to where it is currently.

I also agree that the current price, while high, is not leagues above what other music gear is priced at. Take a single synthesizer, a sampler, add a keyboard, a sequencer, effects pedals, and a mixer and you can easily exceed $1000. The OP-1 has multiple synthesis engines, multiple sequencers, multiple effects, and sampling capabilities (you can even sample from FM radio, sound familiar?)

While the OP-1 may not win awards for any one of those features, it does unify all of them into a portable package. The OP-1 has also served as a gateway drug for me. I've since purchased even pricier synth gear :)

[samatman]

What's an "unattainable luxury item" and what isn't is a function of product + price tag, not price tag alone.

$1300 is a nosebleed luxury price tag for shoes, but it's a junker car.

But for a synth? Yeah, wouldn't blink. Musical instruments in general have personality, and they cost what they cost.