Roland Jupiter 8 vs. Studio Electronics Omega 8

[thefonz003]

Both 8-voice-polyphonic analogs but otherwise pretty different. Which do you think is better and why?

[CfNorENa]

I think the reason no one is responding to this is that there can't be too many of us who have played (much less owned) both. They're both very expensive, and my guess is that the sort of person who would buy the Jupiter 8 is not the sort of person who would buy the Omega 8, and vice versa. There will be exceptions, of course, but that seems like a safe generalization.

All I can do is play the "which one would I rather have" game. For me it's the Jupiter 8. I used to own a Juno 60, and some of the sounds were just gorgeous. I can only imagine how spectacular the JP8 (same filter and envelopes, but dual VCO) must sound. Control surface is also a dream. Sort of feels like more of a "real" instrument than the rackmount Omega.

Then again, I have heard a few jaw-dropping demos of the Omega 8 (esp. with the CS-80 filters). But still, if given a choice, I'd go with the Roland.

[Psy_Free]

Jupiter 8 is better because it's a Jupiter 8

[thefonz003]

I think the reason no one is responding to this is that there can't be too many of us who have played (much less owned) both. They're both very expensive, and my guess is that the sort of person who would buy the Jupiter 8 is not the sort of person who would buy the Omega 8, and vice versa. There will be exceptions, of course, but that seems like a safe generalization.

All I can do is play the "which one would I rather have" game. For me it's the Jupiter 8. I used to own a Juno 60, and some of the sounds were just gorgeous. I can only imagine how spectacular the JP8 (same filter and envelopes, but dual VCO) must sound. Control surface is also a dream. Sort of feels like more of a "real" instrument than the rackmount Omega.

Then again, I have heard a few jaw-dropping demos of the Omega 8 (esp. with the CS-80 filters). But still, if given a choice, I'd go with the Roland.

Oh, I totally feel ya. I certainly am about half a million dollars away from considering any synth that pricey. I just think it's an interesting comparison. Omega 8 almost certainly has more advanced MIDI functionality (probably can respond to velocity and aftertouch just for starters), and can have several different filters installed, giving it a little bit of modularity to go with its general awesomeness. However, Jupiter 8 has its own (albeit non-touch-sensitive) keyboard and "classic" status, not to mention a really cool design aesthetically. I'd imagine that Jupiter 8 has a "bigger" sound too, although, not having been anywhere near either, I can't say for sure.

[recordbot]

can respond to velocity and aftertouch

I'll leave this here



I own a Jupiter 8A, it's an awesome synth, but comparing it to a Prophet 6 I can't say it's worth the spread on the price but for nostalgia, it definitely brings a lot to the table compared to cheaper vintage analog polys like Oberheims and P5,

thing is about this Omega 8, I've never played one, I guess they didn't sell very many, looking at this thing I would be very concerned about repairs, specialized parts, nobody knows how to fix it, kind of like all the joy most Waldorf Wave owners are getting out of that piece. Listening to the sound on a video not sure it really stacks up but a lot of what you want about a jupiter 8 is nailing certain sounds used in past favorites exactly so it won't have that going for it,

a Jupiter 8 preset in mono mode is the cowbell from beastie boys - girls

[ppg_wavecomputer]

Jupiter 8 is better because it's a Jupiter 8

And it's got keys, too.

I could never warm up to keyboardless expanders. That's why I want a Two Voice.

Not sure what to make of the demo above... I can't warm up to a Jupiter-8 sounding like an ARP Pro Soloist but that's probably only a psychological thing.

Stephen

[Jonathan40]

I've never played a Jupiter 8, but did own an Omega 8 with the stock filters a few years back. Presets weren't very good in my opinion, but I found I could get some great sounds out of it with some editing. However, it would freeze up once in a while, and I found their customer support rather inadequate. The build quality of the knobs and case could've been better as well, at least for the $5k asking price. Apparently they had quite a few software bugs early on, and I don't think mine's were completely worked out, despite having the latest operating system update at the time. Again, for a synth with this price, I'd expect better.

Even though I've never played a JP8, which I'm sure sounds fantastic, I'd still probably prefer the O8 over it, simply because of the smaller studio footprint, and, most importantly, the ability to respond to keyboard velocity.