Belthus
Really glad I got this one (iZotope Iris 2), I've gone through some of the Keys and Pads so far, and it's exactly what I was looking for plus a lot more, very impressed.

 
Impressed here as well!  It will take a while to thoroughly audition the patches in the factory content, but I agree, this is what I was looking for. 
 

While I'm new to SONAR (6 months or so in) and still finding my way around the core application, I think it will be a while until I can venture out and delve into the full potential of Iris 2, however I can already envisage where I can go using the stock pre-set instruments provided.
 
The shear amount of content alone was in my mind worth every penny, thanks to occide for mentioning this one.

 
The additional sample library covers so much it may take a very long time to work through that.  This package was worth $50 just for the samples, LOL!   I can even load them into another synth such as Loom, or anything else that loads WAV files.
 

My only concern is the CPU overhead (on an old gen 2 intel i5) which is something I'll take into account when building a new rig.
 
Also, I think I need to spend an evening doing some PC "house work" this weekend, and get SONAR and all these add-ons backed up on external drives.

 
Yup, the CPU hit seems to really vary with the patch selected.  I ran across one patch that pushed my rig to 50% and heard some slight crackles at 512 buffers on my ASIO interface.  But I also found a few patches that I could use while allowing 4 instances of Iris over 4 tracks to run OK.  See pages 70-72 in the PDF manual for CPU optimization tips.  If you click on "?" and select help it will open the manual.  I am running a 3rd gen Intel Core i3 at 3.4 Ghz.
 

Good to hear your impressed abacab, I wouldn't like to think I was responsible for making someone part with some hard earned cash for something they didn't like 

You are quite welcome!  Thanks again for following up with the powers that be at iZotope that resulted in them restoring the sale price for today.  I was initially disappointed after seeing it at the full price in my shopping cart!

abacab
I really can wait for a sale on Omnisphere now! 

Yes, I have been doing some research and it does look very good, however as mentioned it will take a while to fully explore the content included with iris 2 so that should keep me busy for a while.

Belthus

abacab
I really can wait for a sale on Omnisphere now! 

Yes, I have been doing some research and it does look very good, however as mentioned it will take a while to fully explore the content included with iris 2 so that should keep me busy for a while.

I took a look around at the additional content available for Iris 2, and found this deal yesterday.  Outstanding!  He also creates sound banks for Omnisphere, Diva, Zebra, and others.
 
Summer sale 30% discount until July 10.  Just add soundofsummer in the promo field during checkout.
 
Luftrum 10 $23 (before discount)
http://www.luftrum.com/luftrum10/
 
"Textured pads, classic pads and organic soundscapes defines the essence of this soundbank. Inspired by the sounds of Mother Earth and pioneers from the early electronic music scene, make sound worlds collide in harmony in this collection. The soundbank makes extensive use of samples from the Luftrum collection. Samples of a didgeridoo, the forest, rain, voices, airport, sound toys, clockworks, record dust, VA synths + a handpicked selection of binaural recordings.
Luftrum 10 is re-written to the synth engine of iZotope Iris 2 with 10 new presets, updated macro controls and overall fine tuning of all presets. Watch the YouTube demo below by maestro Nicky Bendix taking us on a journey through many of the pads and soundscapes."
 
Luftrum also has a collection of free field recordings in WAV format that you can download.  If you choose to make a small donation to Save the Children, you can also get a licensed version of the library as a 1GB download bundle.
 
There is some excellent "found sound" material in here.  Like recordings of ants on a contact mic!  A very good companion to the 11GB collection that comes with Iris.

Forgot to add this link in my last post ...
 
http://www.luftrum.com/free-field-recordings/
 

abacab
Forgot to add this link in my last post ...
 
http://www.luftrum.com/free-field-recordings/ 

Got so bogged down with work and other distractions that I didn't follow up on your recommendation.  I'll have a listen to the examples at some point, looks interesting and pretty good value even without the discount.

Belthus

abacab
Forgot to add this link in my last post ...
 
http://www.luftrum.com/free-field-recordings/ 

Got so bogged down with work and other distractions that I didn't follow up on your recommendation.  I'll have a listen to the examples at some point, looks interesting and pretty good value even without the discount.

Yup, I would say so!

Native Instruments KOMPLETE 11 looks interesting also, I was looking at the base product KOMPLETE 11 Select as I happened to click on a link to their Maschine Jam controller which also looked interesting.  The package includes the Massive soft synch which I have looked at recently.
 
Does anyone use either of these products with SONAR, or have any thoughts.
 

Belthus
Native Instruments KOMPLETE 11 looks interesting also, I was looking at the base product KOMPLETE 11 Select as I happened to click on a link to their Maschine Jam controller which also looked interesting.  The package includes the Massive soft synch which I have looked at recently.
 
Does anyone use either of these products with SONAR, or have any thoughts.
 

Native Instruments holds 7 places in the top 50 list that I posted in my first reply, with Massive and Reaktor in the top 10.  So, yes, NI is quality stuff.  But it's not cheap to go all in with.  Many Sonar users use Komplete with success.
 
I have mostly taken the a la carte approach to building my collection, so when it comes to looking at a bundle, I have to consider the overlaps and redundancies.  Eventually it becomes a question of HDD space, what to keep installed, etc.
 
I haven't bought any NI synths yet, but I think that Reaktor would be my first pick, as it has a lot that does not overlap with my existing synths.  Download the free Reaktor 6 Player (with Reaktor Blocks Wired).  Some good instrument sounds are included in the freebie presets.
 
https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/synths/blocks-wired/

As abacab said Reaktor is part of Komplete and that was in my list above. Normally it (Komplete and many NI products) goes on sale in the spring and fall. I recommend waiting for a sale - watch the deals section of the forum if you want to purchase it.

Another good instrument collection that includes a few good synths is the one from AIR Music Tech.
 
The upgrade to the complete bundle, from any one AIR instrument, is now available for $60 at Audio Deluxe.
https://www.audiodeluxe.com/products/air-instrument-expansion-pack-3-complete-upgrade
 
I got this last summer, and it quenched my desire to spring for the NI Komplete deal, LOL! 
 
It includes Loom, which someone mentioned earlier in this thread, and that is a very cool synth.  It is additive synthesis based, so it is different from most.  VacuumPro (a subtractive VA type synth), and Hybrid 3 (a hybrid wavetable and VA synth) are also included.  Plus you get piano, B3 organ, Rhodes/Wurli digital piano, a sampler with a 37GB library, drum machine, and a few other things.  Great bang for the buck!  The included presets number in the thousands, and many of them are useful, designed by professional sound designers.
 
If nothing else, it is a cheap way to fill up your hard drive, and keep you busy for many months!
 
The cheapest way into this upgrade deal is to look for AIR Xpand!2 on sale.  It has been on sale for as low as $1 recently, but don't see that deal right now.  Also many MIDI controllers by AKAI, Alesis, and M-Audio come bundled with a couple of these AIR synths.  So if you are thinking about another controller, that is another way to add some sounds, and then get the whole bundle cheap.