I've never EVER seen any promo materials that even hint that Korg markets Kronos as a "preset machine." I would love to read that ad copy. In fact, Korg's selling point is the creative possibilities in sound design with its nine synth engines.
I am a Kurzweil aficionado as well and Dynamic VAST eclipses VAST. Cascade mode alone offers insane possibilities. But this is a Korg forum, and make no mistake, Kronos is anything but a preset machine. Yep, there are tons of patches, but our beloved Kurzweils also have tons of patches. Kronos is an insanely powerful sound designer's wet dream.
I want a second Kronos and will probably get one in August. Having said that, I am also eyeing one of the V-Synths if I can get both without breaking the limited bank. Given your criteria, it seems that V-Synth could be your baby. If money is not a big issue for you, you could get a V-Synth 2.0 for about 795 USD and a Kronos 61 for about 1800 US then you have the best of both. Remember, you can always "X" a first generation Kronos on your own but you will void the warranty. Alternatively, a service center could do it for you if you are hesitant. If you are wealthy, get a Kronos AND a V-Synth GT!
Have a look at Qui Robinez's excellent tutorials that cover - pardon the pun - a vast array of Kronos sound design possibilities. Qui has created stunning sounds from the HD-1 (ROMpler and Wavestation synth) that blow the ROMplers from Yamaha and Roland out of the water. He's also done great work with MS-20 as well and he is talking about preparing a tutorial on AL-1.
As a Kurzweil owner, you will LOVE MOD-7. Not to dispute SanderXpander here whose opinions I greatly respect, but, MOD-7 is in many ways as deep as a Kurzweil. If anything, Korg may have erred when it stressed that MOD-7 is the FM component. MOD-7 is a mangling, truly vast monster synth. Okay, you know that with Kurzweils we can take a snare drum keymap and created lush evolving pads which in itself is pretty cool. Now imagine wiring your own carriers and modulators - including your own samples or PCM sounds and processing them through a VAST-like environment. MOD-7 will simultaneously appeal to yoir Kurz snobbery (that snobbery is a GOOD thing) while allowing you to explore amazing new vistas. Lastly, I stated earlier that Dynamic VAST eclipses VAST and I should expand on that. Your Kurz allows three layers and you are limited to a fixed amount of DSPs. The PC3 series allows for 32 layers per program! Also, Cascade Mode allows you to route the DSP of one patch into the DSP of another, and you can create your own DSPs. Now combine all of that if you want to setups and the sounds are insanely experimental. VAST is powerful to be sure but Dynamic VAST is like commanding the starship Enterprise instead of driving a Lamborghini, so in a sense, the K2500 doesn't compare as favorably to Kronos as does a PC3 series. Kronos is like commanding the Sovereign class Enterprise. (Yeah, I'm a sci-fi geek
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Back again to V-Synth and Kronos: SanderXpander nailed it when he talkked about STR-1. This is a physical modelling synth that has not been marketed properly. Get past the whole notion of using STR-1 as a way to create guitars, basses, violins, etc., and look deeper - something Kurz musicians are used to doing. You design a "string." You decide what it is made of, the excitation and dispersion of the string - how it reacts to being plucked or scraped. Some of the pads I have heard created with STR-1 are some of the most amazing examples of sound creation in any synth; they sound nothing like stringed instruments at all and are very much what you are wanting.
V-Synth offers extreme possibilities for sample mangling. Also, the Time Trip feature allows you to play with audio in real time, reversing it ala Beatles, freezing it in real time, or really, whatever you want to do. If you get the Vocal Designer card for the V-Synth 2.0 - the Vocal Designer is included on the GT - the sound processing capabilities are endless. The V-Synth does a lot more besides and Roland and Roland Clan are great resources for what V-Synth can really do.
In my humble, hack musician opinion, you cannot go wrong with either instrument if your thing is creating sounds that no one had done before. The only thing that might be of some concern is the relative limited polyphony of the V-Synth, thus, my suggestion of getting a V-Synth 2.0 and a Kronos (non-X) 61. My head explodes just thinking of the possibilities of what you could do with a Kurzweil, Kronos, and V-Synth all in the same rig!
I apologize for the long post, and I hope somehow it was helpful. I want to close though by reiterating that Kronos is not a preset machine. There are a number of reasons why that SSD is on there and sound design is chief among them IMHO.
Best of luck with your decision!
Regards,
Vlad
PS: I know you didn't ask, but a Waldorf Blofeld might be another possibility. These powerful modules sell for a paltry 395 Euros or less and are really crazy for sound creation! Blofelds are pure synths - no ROMpling anywhere. I am getting one of these regardless because the price is right and I've always wanted a Waldorf anyhow. For the price of a week of ciggies, I can get an insane monster.
