Asking this question is like asking which is best car. Obviously if you like offroading, you can't go for a lamborgini and the true is vice versa. If you have large family, you can't get a truck or lamborgini...etc.

There's no best.

i take back what i said earlier, the best sp is obviously the sx cause you can put food in the battery compartment.

I don't think its silly to ask this question as I like to hear real world opinions, people who use these devices everyday and know the product inside out. Sure its difficult to compare them but its nice to hear different perspective and workflows.

In the end I got a sp404sx and while its certainly different from a mpc, I do prefer to a mpc already as I can whip out beats and at the same time have ipad as my sound source to sample and do bass, leads. Its quite a wonderful machine an I prefer chopping at times with the mark and trimming too. Wish it had mute groups still though

Ive messed with all of em except the 202 and 303 and i would probably say the 808. It has all of the features of all the sp's plus some. Tons of FX, a 4 track mixer. If you sequence then its not for you, if you resample than your in heaven. Overwriting pads to resample or just sample. Bounce your 4 track to the pads as easy as bouncing tracks. The only downside is the zip drive, thats it. And thats not even been a problem. Second runner up is the 555. Its a 404 plus more. Limitations are cool as far as the 404 but once you taste juice, water doesn't taste so good, you know. The 404 is still dope as shit tho, fast as fuck.

You can do bass on an iPad?
Woah, I'm really behind the power curve.

bass as animoog etc