I think I'm convinced that the Prophet 08 is the best DSI synth. I didn't really care for the OB6 myself and haven't played the P6 or Trigon 6, so I can't say anything about them. The P12 just is very tame, while the Poly Evolver, as interesting as is it, just doesn't have something the P08 has, besides missing 4 voices. The PE is very hard to use because each oscillator is spread to L/R channels and when you mix them to center, the special stereo sound goes away. Since the sequencer only works as steps, not in a range of values, it ends up not being that great IMO.
The Prophet 5/10, is a much better synth though, so don't take this to think I like the P08 more, but I think it's equally special and sounds phenomenal. I gotta say though, I think the P08 is just fantastic and goes into really crazy territory very easily.
So the question I will be asking myself is... do I need the P12 and PE? Surely people would say to keep them, and the Polaris... but I have so many synths. These seem like they were supposed to do what I love about the P08, but don't.
I forgot to talk about the REV2. So let me discuss that here. It’s my least favorite DSI synth, and possibly one of my least favorite synths. It has a very dry and not very organic sound. Something maybe brittle in the sound? I don’t know. I compared the REV2 and P08 pretty extensively at the same time and came to the conclusion that the P08 is the better and more interesting synthesizer. The REV2 had FX which made it difficult to compare when used, so it had its benefits, but if I could have either one, I would much prefer the P08. The UI isn’t as good on the P08, and yet it feels just as easy to navigate. I can’t say I’m a fan of the REV2 OLED Display. Just seems too small to really see nicely. In the end, the P08 is the better synth IMO. You may prefer the REV2, and that’s great. There are lots of reasons to like it more, don’t worry about my opinion. It has a nicer keybed, it feels a little more well built, and the UI is better. But core sound, the REV2 reminds me of the P12… they just don’t seem as interesting to me tonally.
Strymon Volante used for delay and Eventide Blackhole used for reverb.