I’m considering buying a Voyager soon, and I know this question has probably been asked on here before, but I couldn’t find it, so I’ll pose it again . . . What is the main difference between the performance edition and the other editions? Is it just cosmetic, or what?
thanks
Yes, cosmetics.
Besides the Old School, now out of production (supposedly) you got :
Perfomer : no frills model, but full featured as far as sound is concerned.
Electric Blue : kind of a standard version with Backlit panel and blue leds
Select : customized version of the above, a choice of cabinet colors and leds colors.
XL : like a performer, with extended keyboard, ribbon controller, VX-351 and CP-251 built-in, plus some more routing and modular options that go beyond the functionality of the VX-351 and CP-251 combined.
The EB and Select with backlit panels look incredibly beautiful in a dim studio, for very little extra money, but they also generate more heat and may/will cost more in maintenance, sometimes down the road.
excellent breakdown. Thanks for illuminating me with more moog-knowledge. I’d really love to get the XL, but I just can’t quite afford it any time soon. Maybe I have the patience to save for 10 months . . . maybe
If you’re buying a used Voyager the older Performers, 50th Anniversary, and all the SEs only stored 128 patches. Unless they were upgraded in the field.
Newer Voyagers store 7 banks of 128 patches each.
Also, if you have a Select model, keep in mind that there are holes in the panel that house the lamps. These holes are covered by the panel template. Sometimes the panel might want to bubble up in places where these holes are so when you turn the knobs, sometimes you might hear the knobs rubbing against the panel template. No big deal. If you happen to somehow tear the panel above a hole, it will have to be sent in for repair.
Some of the older Electric Blue models from the 2004 era had a different power supply for the lighting that was very noisy. They upgraded this with the “Quiet II technology”.
In addition to expanding the banks of presets, some early Performer editions might not have the Filter Glide and Aftertouch modifications that are now standard on all Voyagers. Some Performers may have lit Pitch and Mod Wheels, but generally that cost extra.
In the long run, I think the best option is either a Performer or an Old School Voyager over any of the others, though I would love to own an XL for the extras.
Eric