Verdict distilled from 31 mentions across 6 aspects in comments under product review videos.
Based on user comments
Ranked by what users actually praise
The analog filter is the S700's signature strength. Commenters repeatedly single out the S700's filter as warm, crunchy, and full of built-in resonance, describing it as giving hugs, chills, and Tron-like warmth on pads and synths. Several say it beats even later digital Akai models like the S1000 in character, particularly on drum sounds and velocity-filtered snares. This filter quality is cited as the main reason long-term owners keep the unit despite owning newer samplers.
The quick disk drive is a widespread reliability failure point. Numerous owners report their quick disk drives broken or non-functional, sometimes for years, with quick disks themselves described as scarce and slow even when working. This has driven a community workaround culture around Gotek and QD emulator installs, belt replacements, and MIDI sample dumping as alternatives to load and save samples without a working disk mechanism.
It's an underrated 'sleeper' relative to its Akai siblings. Multiple commenters note the S700 is overlooked compared to the S900/S950/S1000, despite sharing core architecture with the pricier S612 and offering strong sound for the money. Some report scoring units cheaply (as low as $5-30), while others say demand and prices have risen as its reputation grows, with some searching years to find one.
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