Although there are some specialized threads and comparisons on YT, with the release of the OB-X8 Desktop I would like to ask past or current owners of these synths which one they prefer and why. I currently have the OB-6 and am evaluating swapping it for the OB-X8 Desktop (+ 61 keys MIDI Controller) but just can't make up my mind. I would like to have a more raw and vintage sound, but I wouldn't want to lose versatility. Thanks!

As an owner of both who loves both I think this is an unsolvable impasse.
The OB6 is far more versatile.
The OBX8 is far more raw and vintage.

I had both at one point and the sound quality of the X8 is slightly better. Sold the OB-6 with no regrets. One thing to point out is if you need FX, arp, SVF, sequencer, clock syncable LFO and a more portable form factor then the OB-6 is the better pick. However, if you want that raw tone, voice movement, more filter options, and THAT sound, then the X8 is the one. The X8 is the real deal if you love the old OB synths.

This is my conundrum to. I have the ob6 desktop (and a p6), and would love the x8....but while I could live without the arp, clock syncable lfo would be a hard miss, and I really can't live without basic delay, chorus and reverb on board as i bake fx into a patch as part of the sound.

I don't think the vintage sound and extra 2 voices make up for the missing features.

Same goes for p6 to p10 as well..

You can't sync the LFO? Is it digital? I think only Prophet 5/10 have an analog LFO.

I can't really speak for the OB6/OBX8 but the P5/P10 sound significantly better than the P6. Personally I'll always take superior raw sound over built-in FX. The ones on the 6 series aren't even that good imo. YMMV. Another big plus is the layering and splits you can do on P10/X8. The extra voices come in handy for that.

Oh and the X8 has an arp.

On this - what I really like to do is splitting the keyboard, running an arp on the bass and playing leads/chords on top of it. I wish there would be a way to allocate voices between splits (maybe there is) - but this is a highly enjoyable feature!

Yes, the sound quality and raw tone are better on the X8. As far as arp and LFO go, they are more usable on the OB6 IMO. The X8 is more quirky like the original OBs. I also will add that the FX on the OB6 work in a pinch, but the OB-X8 ran through quality FX is sublime and on another level.

Sorry for the confusion on my original post.

no problem but more usable how/why? because they clock to midi and not on OBX8?

I forget what is that arp bug people mentioned early on about the X8? what is so quirky about it?

Wish there were some more comparison videos. The Starsky one is a decent comparison, but thats really the only one.

Online, the X8 does not sound better to me, only different.

I've not heard one in person, though, and maybe that makes all the difference in the world.

A more vintage Oberheim sound: X8
A more modern Oberheim sound: OB-6

Neither is limited to making music of any era.

Now that there is a considerably less expensive, I can't say cheap, version of the OB-X8 (the desktop version is the same price as the OB-6) it is a very difficult decision. I can't justify financially having both, neither musically, because they both have the same character and sound palette. Of course, the main difference is that the OB-X8 gives access to many filter options: OB-X, OB-Xa, OB-SX and OB-8. In addition, it has the classic 24db CEM3320 filter. On the other hand, the OB-6 has more modulation options, and the classic 2/4 voice SEM. I love the sound of the OB-X and OB-8, but I wonder if I NEED so many filter options, at the end of the day nobody cares but oneself.

I insist, it is a difficult choice, I would not want to regret it. Convince me for one or the other please!

Do you like the SEM sound more? If not, try the X8.

Do you need any of the features the OB-6? If not, try the X8.

Have you always craved the 80s Oberheim sound? Try the X8.

For me, I like the SEM most of any Oberheim, love having sync and arp and effects, and, despite growing up in the 80s, am not craving the Xa sound (I do like the sound of the OB-8).

Went back and listened to the starsky video again. Especially with vintage knob turned on for both they sound very close to me. If you had neither already maybe it would be worth getting the X8. Already having the OB-6, not sure it is worth the hassle of trying to sell it to get the X8. They don't sound that different. Unless you really need the exact 80s oberheim sound or must have 8 voices it sounds like to much of a hassle, especially since the OB-6 has features you like that the X8 does not have.

For recording you can also double track the OB-6 in mono and pan one left and one right to get something similar to the X8 stereo sound.

These are very good questions and very helpful.
I like the SEM sound, because I'm a big fan of Lyle Mays.
But I produce music with an 80s sound (although I'm much younger).

The FX and arp of the OB-6 don't interest me much, in fact I don't use them.

I've never had a desktop synth, I also wonder if that might be a bit awkward, I guess it doesn't have the same immediacy and playability as a full synth.

The XMOD section on the OB6 is deceptively complex and gives you almost digital timbres.

Very good commentary. I did the same and re-watched the Starsky video. I wonder what filter I use, I didn't notice that. The OB-X? But they are indeed very similar, the only difference is the richness of the pan spread on the OB-X8.

Having owned both and had them beside each other in a room. The difference in pure sound is much more significant than you can tell from youtube. It's basically the same as the difference between the P6 and P5 sonically. I'd say the deciding factor is how much you personally value the syncable LFO, FX, sequencer, continuously variable sweep between the SEM modes (because the X8 has all the same SEM modes, it just can't sweep smoothly between them) and the additional modulation on the OB6. Because when it comes to raw sound the X8 sounds better across the board and you can tell within seconds in person. It also has the added benefit of having beyond just the SEM filter - the curtis 2 pole and curtis 4 pole which broaden its palette by a ton into some territories the OB6 can't reach with just a 2 pole filter. Also definitely don't discount the additional panning modes and the way the panning sounds on the X8. Along with its double mode you can get some insanely wide and lush sounds not possible on many synths. All that being said both are top class instruments.

I kind of agree and kind of dont. It rather depends what your using it for.

For me I NEED built in effects - as I use them as part of the sound (they dont have to be great, just functional with the OB6/P6 are) - and I play live. The live bit is why I dont want to have to lug FX units around as well - and needing that functionality so when I change patch on the synth, the FX unit changes patch too (some can do this others cant).

if I was using the Synth at home/studio only and not playing live then absolutely 100% take the better raw sound.

I did play the X8 at a show, and while not directly comparable to the P6/OB6 I have at home it didnt sound/seem T?HAT much better/different really. rougher, rawer yess but not that much IMO.

Having said that, Ive played the P6 and P5 side by side in a shop, and while the P5 was definitely better sounding raw, again though while noticeable it wasnt massively different, and certainly not once in a mix or a live context.

This is another one of those discussions like "who was better..Hendrix or Clapton?"

I have an OB-6. I'll never part with it. Can't beat the filters, and yeah, since I use it live onstage at every gig, I need effects, period.

If you were born into wealth, or got a significant inheritance, or have a six-figure income, yeah, buy both and indulge yourself. Why not, life is short.

Keep in mind, the difference in sound only matters to you. Us keyboard players are no different from guitar players..we think an audience cares about a synth's tone, but really they don't. The rest of the world can't tell the difference between an OBX-8 and a Casio CZ-101. Seriously.

I can hear the difference between an OB-X8 and an OB-6, sure. It isn't enough to make me haul out a credit card and go back into debt just to "have" it. Truthfully, if I really need that sound for a music track, I can use G-force's OB-E, Synapse's Obsession, Disco DSP's OBX-d, or Aly James Lab OB-Xtreme. They all sound great and come close to the sound, and for thousands less.

Speaking of Oberheims, my band opened last night for a band whose keyboard player had an OB-X8..and no cables were connected to the audio outputs. I asked the guy, you guys do "Jump" in your set, right, why aren't you using the OB-X8? He replied, "I just got it and I don't know how it works".

I don’t know that I find the P5 to sound better than the P6. I’ve used them side by side. It’s an assumption that a more expensive synth will sound “better”. It’s a per person thing.

Also, the additional modulation of the OB-6 is HUGE. The different sounds it can make are surprising. Not to be casually dismissed, as I’m pretty sure it takes the OB-6 to “territories the X8 can’t reach”. The modulation section is very important to me.

They are different synths in the same family. Just depends on your priorities. I actually don’t find the X8 better, as I said, just different. But I still want to hear one in person.

The hpf on the p6 just by itself, insures that there is no way a p5 can sound "better". It can do things and make sounds the p5 couldn't dream of. Besides that, I think the p6 just sounds "better". Lol

I don't know if "better" is the right word. But it could be said that Prophet 6 and OB-6 are part of Dave and Tom's desire to produce a revival of the old glories, without perhaps thinking that they were going to revive the classics. When the Prophet 5/10 was released Dave was semi-retired from Sequential and Tom was completely retired. I have no doubt that they both put their best effort into making the best synth possible up to that point.

The arp on the OB-6 gives you more control in an easier way over the X8. The X8s arp is very simple, not many options and isn’t 100% intuitive compared to modern offerings.

The LFO on the X8 is pretty powerful, especially with the P2 options. However, limited with a lack of clock sync. You also have to dig a bit in P2. OB6 has it RIGHT THERE in your face with lots of controls and options.

All that being said, the X8 is still my favorite of the two simply because of the sound. It sounds better to my ears. I’m also under 40 so it’s not nostalgia speaking ahaha. The way the voices interact, portamento, voice count, experience of the layout, etc make it worth it to me over the OB-6.

If the question is between Hendrix and Clapton there is a clear answer. Only one of them was capable of making the Earth pspin backwards.

OB6 or OB-X8? I’d be happy with either, and sometimes even a plug-in...

OBX8 sounds better you know this otherwise this thread wouldn't exist.

You can make up the versatility with another synth and/or effect pedal. OB6 effects are lacklustre anyway.

Plenty of people on here disagree with you, including people who own both, and those who thought the X8 would sound better but it’s just different.

sometimes its not just about the sound but the immediacy of each parameter easily adjusted. OBX8 doesnt have a knob per function. Some parameters share one, or theres a button for this, also there is a page2 on the OBX8. Does it sound better, yes but depending on what music you make, if your going to play live, etc, etc... but yes, the raw sound out the OBX8 is amazing, the OB6, sometimes need effects to widen it and such.

Meh.....more than happy with my P6 and OB-6

I had GAS on the P5 for a while and then stood in Long & MacQuade, had a close listen to the P5 on my DT880's and decided the P6 did not need replacing at all, especially when the 'vintage knob' replaced slop mode on the P6.
The starsky video comparing the P6 to the P5 sealed it for me. Sure, there are edge cases where the P5 does things the P6 cant but its also the same the other way around. Big thing for me is the initial bright sound of the P6 compared to the P5 which is easily tamed by turning the cutoff knob. Would also like the per voice vs round robin on the P5 but ho hum.

Anyway, Im guessing the OB-6 vs the X8 would end the same way for me and I really don't want to sell a P6 and OB-6 to afford the X8