lfm
To some degree I know where you are coming from.
Color and toolbars customization - were more detailed in pre X series, and still is.
 
But I don't miss to a showstopper degree - even if I have some feature requests i in Ideas and features forum.
 
Colors - well, some stuff don't have a setting for you. You might have to indirectly get some things visible over clips by selecting clips for and background. Thinking of automation when track is not selected, I like to see that at all times. So I found that as a workaround.
 
Control bar is quite cool, and new Custom module is really good. A selection of command you put there, pretty much like a custom toolbar - but have a compact collapsed option to go away and hover mouse to let it expand, and as of now no icons for your chosen command.
 
Other things I appreciate are global bypass and pdc toggling in ControlBar. Really timesaver when need to do more recordings on a project that is close to final stage etc. You bypass pdc for record armed track kind of - and don't get the full project pdc while record monitoring.
 
Dim on solo I think is new to X-series as I remember it. Dim the overall mix unless on soloed tracks to hear what you need while recording.
 
Mic Recall - is really the one thing major feature that makes new Sonar shine brighter. Version of project with different plugins and settings, to use in various ways.
 
Member subscriptions are deeply misunderstood as you put it. You own whatever version you have after 12 months membership, downpayments by months or 12 months upfront. So it does not stop working - and you can re-enter any time to continue receiving updates and bugfixes.
 
The overall feel is really stable. My old lefthand reflex to save a project after each operation is pretty much gone. No worries in that department for me, anyway.
 
Still skeptic, rent it for a while and see what you think. It seems to be monthly releases with fixes and some new features in between as well.
 
Peek in Ideas and Features forum what users are missing - might give a hint too.

I envy you.  8.5 was so bullet-proof for me, I didn't like X1, X2 was fine and X3e was great (with Duckbar).
 
I upgraded to Platinum because:
 
1) I really, really wanted the AD2 kits, packs etc.
 
2) The new business model sort of freaked me out so I bit.  But the new features are somewhat "clunky" for me (ymmv) but I love mix-recall (when it works) and I might be comfortable with all this someday.
 
The conversation has come up with 3 friends about this new version of Sonar and my general opinion is there's nothing wrong with using 8.5 as far as I know, X3 is great and I really haven't derived a great benefit for using "2015" yet (I don't need "content") but it's solid.
 
I've always rooted for CW, so hopefully all is well.

I find the Skylight interface introduced in X1 to be a huge improvement for workflow (after a few days of understanding it).  That is personal, of course, and it seems you don't feel the same way.
 
I hate the iPhone interface.

konradh
I hate the iPhone interface.

I'm not sure why that's relevant however I just hate anything to do with Apple in general. 

I really like the way each responder have addressed the issues the OP brought up. Dubdisciple was fantastic in the thoughtful way he answered questions.  
 
This is an example of the very high quality answers this forum has to offer. It was a pleasure to read this thread. 
 
The proper name as best as I can figure it is this year is Sonar 2015. Sonar Platinum being the flagship version. 
 

I think that the true name is either Artist, Professional or Platinum. With the way we will always going to be up to date from now on, there is no reason to continue using numbers or dates. # years from now all users of Platinum will be using the most up to date version. With the odd exception of a few who opt out at some point. 
 

Tripecac
I'm a long-time Sonar user (since the ProAudio days).  I use it primarily for MIDI and soft synths.
My favorite version was 8.5.3.  X1 and X2 and X3 added "stuff" but didn't improve my productivity or enjoyment of using the program. 

 
 
If the comping feature in X3 didn't improve your productivity, that's unfortunate. A lot of folks really like it.
 

Tripecac
Does the new version of Sonar significantly improve the UI for those of us who are mostly dealing with soft synths? 

 
 
No.
 

Tripecac
Does it increase the customizability? 

 
 
No. X3 added some color options. SONAR 2015 does not add to that.
 

Tripecac
Does it give us back some of the control that X1/2/3 took away from us? 

 
 
I reject the premise of the question; and no.
 

Tripecac
Does it improve your overall workflow/efficiency?

 
 
VocalSync is pretty nifty, I've used it quite a bit. So, Yes.
 
 

I agree with dub... lots of loaded implications that are totally unspecified in the OP's questions...
 
I'm anything but a pro user unlike many of the amazing folks who contribute to this forum... I'm mostly just a songwriter and have been dabbling with Sonar since  5 or 6 (it was soooo long ago).  I have to say, my first reaction to your OP and followup comments is "what an idiot!"  Why?  Well, from a casual users standpoint I feel Platinum is totally rad, unbelievably awesome and something dreams are made of.
 
I haven't begun to plum the depths as others who've responded here.  It's been a busy time in my life lately so I haven't had much time and when I do have a moment I fire it up and just write.  It's beautiful and so far beyond all the previous incantations I am in a steady state of bliss.  Just yesterday I was working on remixing my most recent creation which was way too long... saving fadeouts at different points while fixing some playing errors along the way, realizing this is frustrating as error correcting and mixing are two separate things and keeping track is a pain... Then I remembered the new MIX RECALL function. Here I am, cluttering up my hard drive with multiple saves of the same project at different lengths and I said to myself, "idiot!  time to try the mix thingy"  OY!
 
It is beautiful... I now have ONE version with multiple fades/setups that I can recall and squirt to mp3 in a second.  This radically changes my entire saving approach... and it is soooo smart.  If I correct an error in an orchestral part in this song, it's immediately a part of all the mixes.  This one little advance, to me, is just totally awesome. And there a a zillion such improvements since 8.5...And ALL the changes, improvements in Platinum since X3 have been detailed and if you really consider them nothing, you're brain is a bit unhinged...
 
Playability, power, stability, intuitiveness... every time I fire it up I thank the cosmos it provided my universe with the wonderful bakers who are actively working every day to make my songwriting more effective.
 
I really can't relate to anything you say. You talk about "fluff" and all I think about is all the stupid focus on "colors"... that to ME is "fluff"... Sonar 8.5 is a dog compared to the advances that have resulted in Platinum...I couldn't care less about the additional perks/toys although they are wonderful in themselves.  The platform is amazing.
 
Really your entire OP reflects a degree of ignorance and lazyness... all the baloney you say has been extensively discussed and shown to be idiotic endless numbers of times...I'm always impressed by the time and patience shared so freely by all the amazing folks here on this forum... answering and clarifying the same question over and over again to people who don't bother taking the time to check their assumptions before posting.  Sorry if I'm a little caustic but I just really am amazed at your post...

The best workflow improver is the enhanced Control Bar. Unfortunately, Cambridge broke this, and we have to hope that it will be fixed by the next periodic update.

I really don't understand this fixation with 8.5.3
 
It was a good enough version, but visually it was a bit of a mess.
 
I had cause to fire up my old machine the other day and while I was there, launched 8.5. 
It was a visual assault on my senses! Not at all pretty, and trying to navigate a multitude of almost identical icons in an equal number of toolbars left me reeling!

Cactus Music
I think that the true name is either Artist, Professional or Platinum. With the way we will always going to be up to date from now on, there is no reason to continue using numbers or dates. # years from now all users of Platinum will be using the most up to date version. With the odd exception of a few who opt out at some point. 
 

I think we will still need to know which year version a question is regarding just as we do with older versions now. We will also need to indicate if we are talking about Cambridge or Braintree.