was there really "universal disappointment" with X1? It's so funny what a difference perspective makes.  I liked 8.5 ok but truth be told i found it a much worse experience than X1.  S

jungfriend
I've got one and it isn't even too dusty. Otherwise I am on X3 and won't ever go back to an earlier version so I can part with it no problem. It is registered to me though so I don't think you would be able to register it because Cakewalk does not allow license transfers. Nothing I can do about that, but if you still want it we can make a deal. 

You can't legally sell 8.5 even if Cakewalk permitted transferring of licences. You currently may own many versions of Sonar but only one licence which has allowed you to upgrade from one version to another. If cakewalk did permit transfers you'd have to sell 8.5 and any version before or after it that you've used for the purpose of an uPgrade. That's how it works.

dubdisciple
was there really "universal disappointment" with X1? It's so funny what a difference perspective makes.  I liked 8.5 ok but truth be told i found it a much worse experience than X1.  S

if you remember how the forum was exploding back then you could probably call the disappointment universal ... i reckon it had a lot to do with stability (replacing a mature & solid piece of software with established workflows by something that works differently und crashes more frequently may impact your perspective quickly)

I have the same curiosity as Craig... why 8.5? It is not overly important, but got many of us wondering, I think. Due to OS limitations and some other things I would expect X3 to be sought if one wanted an "older version."

I do have an 8.5 which I have never registered or used.
I bought the full vs700 set a while ago but never installed the software as I was already on the X versions.
I have to find the disc.

dubdisciple
was there really "universal disappointment" with X1? It's so funny what a difference perspective makes.  I liked 8.5 ok but truth be told i found it a much worse experience than X1.  

I would characterize it as "significant" or "considerable" rather than universal. Some people saw where it was going, and were willing to put up with it being released prematurely (which I definitely feel it was) because they figured it would improve. I think by the time X1d came out, there was little reason to stick with 8.5. However, the initial launch had tainted X1 sufficiently that people were wary until X2 came out, but that's when there were issues within the company itself. X3 realized the promise of the X-series, and now SONAR 2015 is fulfilling its potential.
 
Maybe 8.5 will acquire the status of pre-CBS Fenders or something..."Check out that vintage toolbar!"

Funny, but I may have one.  Purchased it at a trade show, never ended up using it.  Can't remember if it's 8.0 or 8.5, though.  Let me have a look when I get home from work.
 

I'm kind of in the same boat as the OP.   I liked sonar 5, never bothered to upgrade to 7 or 8, and when I upgraded to X3 really, sincerely did not like it and could not use it.   So many many extra mouse clicks in finer and finer tiny areas I can't see.    I'm using cubase now, not perfect by far, but my old sonar 5 doesn't work well on windows 7 64 bit, and I need that.   So: legit copy, I'm another customer.  Contact me. 
 
[Edit] In case anyone adds yet another mean post: I read manuals.  I re-read them.  I use the index. I use the table of contents.  I search.    See Finale 2014 for a beautiful user's manual. 

As  Lord John Whorfin so succinctly said, "Its not my damn planet, monkey boy!!!"   I enjoyed PA3?, 5, 7, 8, 8.5, X1, (skipped X2), X3, and now Platinum. But of course, on my home world, we actually read manuals ... unlike this blue orb, where folks get frustrated and start shooting one another.

garybrun
I do have an 8.5 which I have never registered or used.
I bought the full vs700 set a while ago but never installed the software as I was already on the X versions.
I have to find the disc.

You should hold for ONE MILLION DOLLARS