There will always be a collector class with any category of designer product. Established manufacturers (Nike, Monte Blanc, Omega) are aware of this and directl

There will always be a collector class with any category of designer product. Established manufacturers (Nike, Monte Blanc, Omega) are aware of this and directly cater to those customers. I don't think this was TE's intent when they launched their synthesizer. The OP-1 is an incredibly well designed product that stands on its own as an instrument. The device has taken on the life of a status symbol somewhat in 10 years, but is that due to TE or due to the quality of the product? Synthesizers have their own collector class after all, but I don't think you can accuse TE of intentionally catering to those folks when they made the OP-1. People like good design for many reasons. The OP-1 has an undeniable aesthetic quality but it's a versatile and flexible (and portable) instrument under all that.