Tom,

You're asking a lot of good questions, but I don't know if there are simple answers, because life is complicated, most of the time.

The MPX1 really is a different animal than the MX series. It allows more control and can do more things. The downside of that is that it is more complex. I can understand your frustration with it. By comparison, the MX series is very user friendly, partly because it is simpler. And it is less expensive, so I wouldn't expect it to necessarily have better specs than the MPX1. It is probably technically possible, as you say with newer DSP chips and such, but no one would consider buying an MPX1 if it didn't have at least some advantages over the lower-priced models.

I have also read of people's fondness for the old Lexicon products. Lexicon probably feels that they will make more money selling new products than old ones, so they have to come out with something different every now and then. I actually think that their product line is much more stable than most manufacturers. Are the new products better? Depends on who you ask. Sometimes, they can do different things that the old products couldn't, that is most likely better. Sometimes, the differences are more in the user interface or the subjective character of the effects. To someone who was used to the old interface and character, they may think the new ones are worse, just because it's not what they are familiar with. You just can't please everybody.

That's great, and what it is really all about: learning to use the tools you have to make music. I'm glad you like the MPX1, I'm sure it's a great unit. I'm also very happy with my MX400, it's exactly what I was looking for. With regard to the presets on a lot of these Lexicon products, it is pretty common for people to feel that they are more flash than substance. But as you've now discovered, learning to tweak the parameters proves very rewarding.