hmm yes raw and raunchy is possible, but i should add that to me this has a timeless quality to it as well
its just how a simple bread and butter type mono synth should sound to me
from the amazing oscillators, very nice albeit somewhat limited filter , and good envelopes
i like to be adamant about these types of things, because I owe a lot to fellow (much older and wiser) slutz who have helped steer me in the right direction for years
and i think it will take you to much different territory (as probably any high powered analog monosynth will) from what you've described above

Nope, no need to constantly verify it. One and done. I suspect if you are liking what you are hearing in the SH-2, only it will do. At the same time, I'm sure you'll put the Boomstar on your list to check out in person at some point. There's much more to play with than most synths in that box.

Always hard to put these timbral qualities into words, but "raunchy" is one of the last terms I'd use for the SH-2. In fact, it is precisely because it's *not* raunchy (as I understand the term) that I love it. To my ears, it is warm, organic, round, sharp, and very full. Limited modulation, but surprisingly wide range of tones. That's what matters most to me, so it's a keeper. I think I'm with J Gabriel on this one.

PS: my sense of "raunchiness" is one of the reasons I have not been attracted to the Boomstars. Fom the many demos I've heard, I always hear some edginess and harshness -- haven't played one myself, but that tone is so consistent, I have to believe it is just built into the Boomstar DNA...

I love my SH-2 - as limited as it is a synth, it just sounds awesome. Haven't tried the others in this thread but the SH-2 in my opinion is Roland's Minimoog. Its fat and super smooth sounding.

I agree 110%..Love mine.....

Not that all of the responses here weren't a big help with this. But sometimes it's like trying to go into an animal shelter and NOT walking out with a puppy or kitten in your arms.

Yes rational thought went into it as well as a lot of needed advice and opinions which I am grateful for. Maybe it would have all been different if the seller didn't plug the synth into an amp with a really big speaker. Who knows.
I considered a software product.
I considered a modern analog product. Two in fact.
I think the best value is this.

Despite the fact that I now have to liquidate a synth and somehow obtain the rare rack mount version of it to have space for it all in the studio.
So add all of this to the price paid.

In the end though... It was the sound. No silly prejudices. No financial wrangling. No peer pressure. Plugged it into a big old keyboard amp, hit some keys, juices flowed, my wallet opened.

What can we say, when you connect with a synth, you connect with a synth

Abduction is the right emoji for this situation