I would appreciate some opinions on whether or not the bass and drums board would be a wise investment for my xp-30....

With the advent now of all the new virtual samplers, (exs24 for example), for less than $500 one could have a very good sampler with a great collection of drum samples..just add a midi controller or v-drums...

How do the samples in the drum and expansion board stack up against some of the drum sample collections from East-West, Ilio, Big Fish, Qup Arts, etc??

I find I can still use some of the stock rythymn kits from the xp-30, but they are starting to pale in comparison to the stereo drums that are supplied with the exs24 from emagic...

Realistic acoustic drums fit perfectly for my applications...

Any thoughts??

The Bass & Drum board isn't outdated by any means. If you can, try it out for yourself. You should be impressed. The Bass sounds are right up there with samplers. They really are good.

On the other hand, since I've seen some Akai s2000's under $500 these days. It may also be a wise investment to get a sampler and only use it for drums. I would recommend the board though.

The Infamous EPU.

how bout bass & drums compared to xv stereo pop and rock kits? which of those is better, XV or EXP? and how much does one pay for such a board second hand?