I´d like to sell one of my AKAI S612 s. pretty much my favourite sampler for instant sampling random stuff.
I thought i need more than one, but my second s612 is unused for years now.
it has the MD280 with discs included (which I never used - because sampling is so easy that i always just
sampled my favourite sounds again)
now I´ve got no idea what´s a fair price for it - any suggestions ?
it´s in a medium condition for it´s age but it works technically perfect.
i remember there was a homepage that showed average prices for different old audio-equipment.
but i can´t find it anymore … ?
btw. I´m not interested in making money, i just like to know what´s a fair price.
I don´t offer it here on the elektronauts forum so i hope it´s allowed to explain why
i like it so much:
first of all i like it´s design and it´s quality.
whenever people say something is built like a tank - they should
check out this one !
i was really surprised how big and heavey that machine is when i first got it.
when i started to build a setup with small instruments and fx
i realized that it does not take away that much place at all because
you can use it like a table.
at the first look the s612 is extremely limited, well, at the second look too. but that´s
one aspect of it why i like it so much. it´s really a sampler where you can relax your brain.
you can connect pretty much everything to it that doesn´t need phantom power.
the preamp is very good and you can easily adjust input and monitor levels in
a wide range. you can use it for some nice subtle distortion too.
took me some time to find out that it makes sense to use that preamp also for
sampling stuff in other devices like the octatrack.
the sliders to adjust start and end point of the sample are the most obvious highlight
of that sampler. it´s incredible how fast and easy it is to adjust these parameters compared
to instruments with displays. i can create a nice keyboard/pad sound in less than 10 seconds (including sampling)
as soon the start point slider is located after the end point slider the sample plays reversed.
very nice to do glitchy stuff…
i´m a big fan of sliders anyway, because it is possible to manipulate parameters one handed.
same like filter cutoff and resonance on a sh 101 …
the filter and modulation section is very very boring compared to newer products.
you can´t do a lot - but it still sounds very good.
the akai sounds pretty “warm” … maybe warm is the wrong word,
what i´d like to say it sounds anything but sterile !
despite of it´s limitations there are still some very unique “hidden” possibilities
in that sampler. tuning down stuff and decreasing the sample rate sound
very different compared to modern samplers, often in a good way.
all in all the s 612 really has got character and i love it !
can´t say i highly recommend it these days, but definitley worth to check it
out when you can get one … for a fair price 
