I have sold my a4 mk1 to get some money. After a while i realized that i am missing him and bought a mk2 then.
What a huge boost compared to the mk1. The angeled case, lot of more knops, the new overdrive, new oled screen. Absolutely loving it. In special for drum design. What a huge bass/ Sound Monster it is.
Thank you Elektron for this mk2 Version of a great Synthesizer.
That’s interesting because I’ve personally seen zero reason to ditch the mk1’s for MK2’s other that maybe with the Octatrack but even so none of them seem worthy of ditching the originals to me just very minor differences most of which don’t seem like improvements to me. I personally much prefer the look and size of the MK1’s and the lcd screen size doesn’t seem terribly important for any of the Elektron boxes based off of how they’re made to work with. I feel like the MK2’s are fine and good if you’re getting an AR, A4 or OT and don’t already have one but I’m surprised that anyone would be stoaked to ditch their MK1 for an MK2. That being said I haven’t gotten my hands on the MK2s in person I’m just basing this off of what the minor differences are and how they look, maybe I’d change my mind if I saw the MK2’s in person (but probably not idk)
I have had both mk1 and mk2 for OT, A4 and AR. While I prefer mk1 form factor, I much prefer playing on the mk2. And black versions are really gorgeous.
The feel of the knobs makes it way quicker to operate, I almost never push the encoders now.
The dedicated perf knob is really cool, I use it a lot.
And yes, I like A4 mk2 sound way better too.
A big improvement on MK2 analogs are the graphics for envelopes. I hate these on OT. There’s a lot going on on A4, so I appreciate I can just see at a glance what’s going on with the envelopes. That being said, never touched a MK1. Love it’s size in theory but feel that it’s a bit too small for all it can do. Congrats @milan1, have fun!
Congrats, man! I also sold me A4 mk1 to buy an A4 mk2, and I can never go back. I like it better for the reasons you mentioned, but also that the knobs feel like the ones on the digi-boxes (turns faster, no need to press-turn all the time like I had to on the mk1). The screen’s viewing angle is way better and it refreshes faster (mk1 is sluggish in comparison), it has bigger icons and graphical representations of envelopes, the backlit RGB buttons that are easier to read because the text itself lights up, and normal trigs are red and locktrigs are yellow, as opposed to fully lit red vs half-lit red. And there’s a dedicated button combo for saving the project on the mk2! The perf macro knob lets you use performance macros while flipping around to different parameter pages, you no longer have to be on the performance page to use them.
Can’t comment on the MK1 but I got a black Mk2 this weekend and it’s a work of art. (and really nice industrial design) My only ‘problem’ is OT muscle memory atm. 
I love how the mk1s look. Best out of all the boxes imo but that’s just aesthetic.
My big difference is the screen which is far better in mk2s and the newer digi boxes.
Yep the Quick Performance Controller, new
backlight colouration of the buttons, less func + x shortcuts, the sound, AND the individual outs. Great for live sets with extra fx without a computer. Love it. Going to watch out for the rytm mk2. What a dream maschine
Mk2 AR can sample (from audio input or internal resampling) which to me makes the sampler much more useful. Also don’t underestimate what a quality of life upgrade the mk2 screens are!
While I would instinctively have agreed that I’m not sure if it’s worth upgrading necessarily, I’m sure I’d use my A4 a lot more if it was mk2 - I dislike that tiny screen a lot!
I’d kill for A4 & AR mk2’s in mk1 form factor. ngl 
The price gap between the mk1 and mk2 is irrationally large. I might pay 100-150 currency units for the better screen, more responsive encoders, and nice clacky buttons. I like the size of the mk1 but when I see them together, mk2 is not so much larger. I don’t need the individual outs, probably won’t use the CV in (though I have lots of things I could put on the other end) and I’m not sure about the quick performance macro knob. However, I’m not going to pay 400+ units (plus incur the anxiety of selling my mk1, I’m terrible at this sort of thing) for the upgrade.
…so what we’ve learned today is ‘the best A4 model is the one you happen to own’!
Well I’ve the mk1 and would prefer the mk2
Not going to quote that first Stephen Stills hit single because I always found it icky, even as a child, but, quite probably yes.
I am talking about a used mk2. The price for a new one, especially for the black edition is too high imo.
Got mine for £ 850 but that’s an outlier I think.
Ive got a MK1 A4 id not used it in ages however I was using takt/tone/syn regular, I fired up the A4 MKI after it was gathering dust and I just couldn’t get away with the tiny screen after using the other boxes, I just didn’t realise how small that screen was my 52 year old eyes, Wish I could swap it for a mk2.
In the spirit of this thread, I want to hear the opinion of you guys.
I just got offered a very pristine-looking MK1 for 500 euro (528 USD) which seems to be a very fair price. Will I regret not buying the MK2? I see a lot of opinions thrown around; some say there is little difference in terms of sound between the two versions, and others say that I’ll surely miss out on the lower bass notes and overdrive.
I’d be pretty bummed out if I bought it and discovered that I missed out. FOMO, for sure, but there really is a valid point about it, tho. Normally I’d purchase both models and simply return I don’t gel with, but since its used - and you can’t purchase the MK1 brand new any longer - I feel like the purchase is more permanent. I know I can easily re-sell, but yeah, you know the drill
That is a good price. I have never used a mk2. You can see the difference detailed in posts above, for example from @eaves. Is that difference worth 400 euros to you? Some will say no (like me, because I haven’t jumped yet), some will say yes (because they have). But really only you can answer this one.
Seriously considering a mk2 myself but I’ll probably hang on to the mk1 given the used prices. Mk1 is an incredible deal though and I would recommend it to anyone.