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bladetragic
 
DropZone is ok, and probably the closest thing.  But they haven't even bothered to update it to 64bit and the functionality is not near as robust or intuitive as Simpler.  Maybe if they took that idea and expanded on it then that may be a good solution, but the fact that they haven't updated it to 64bit makes me think that there may be some unknown issue with it.

You're likely wasting your time here. I suggest putting in a feature request and moving on.
 
This is the best post I've seen here on the subject of working with loops: http://forum.cakewalk.com/FindPost/3480273
 
You probably know about this, but there is a forum on KVR dedicated to Samplers, Sampling, & Sample Libraries.
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=42

I assume this will probably get moved to the feature section.  If not, I will make a post there.

I suggest the TX16WX a free and very powerful sampler http://www.tx16wx.com/

bladetragic

JoseC.
But Sonar has a Simpler kind of sampler. It is called Dropzone.

DropZone is ok, and probably the closest thing.  But they haven't even bothered to update it to 64bit and the functionality is not near as robust or intuitive as Simpler.  Maybe if they took that idea and expanded on it then that may be a good solution, but the fact that they haven't updated it to 64bit makes me think that there may be some unknown issue with it.
 
Edit: After looking at DropZone again, I think that may be a great starting point.  It definitely needs an update/overhaul and some additional functionality, but the foundation is there.

+ 1 To the Dropzone overhaul. I confess I am guilty of automatically reaching for Battery for those tasks, but Dropzone should suffice. An update would be great.

THambrecht
Sampler are actually extinct.
For instruments I use sample libraries such as EastWest, Native instruments ...
and for drums Addictive Drums, Slate Drums ...

Which are pretty much all essentially dedicated samplers:)
 
 

Glyn Barnes
I suggest the TX16WX a free and very powerful sampler http://www.tx16wx.com/

 
+1 Glyn. I recently used this to make a vst version of a couple of drum sounds from my old DM5 module that I use frequently. Awesome free sampler!
 
 

Excuse me for being uninformed, but is Beatscape a sampler?

I still install that. It is a synth you drop samples into and trigger with touch.

That used to ship with Sonar. It is thirty two bit.

bladetragic
For an electronic musician/producer, working with samples is THAT critical that I think you turn people off/away if your answer is to search for a 3rd party solution.  

I think this is very true. But I think just as valid of an argument could be made that precisely because being able to work with samples is that critical to those musicians, the expectation is that nearly all of them will already have some sort of powerful third party sample solution that they know well and use almost exclusively for their sample needs. 

I think the perception is if you include any kind of plugin instruments/libraries/samplers etc in your DAW, the people you're including them for are either those who are just starting out and therefore have no other plugins, i.e. 'get you started' type solutions. And those who don't normally use those types of plugins i.e. the guitar player who otherwise would not have any kind of synth plugins. 

Sampler - without a special library - are actually extinct.
All Sampler come now with a rich and special library. For example "Kontakt" from Native Instrument or "Play" from EastWest.
The original "TX16W" (Yamaha) is in my basement. This was a hardware from the 1980's. (About 2.000$)
An empty pure Sampler is out of time.
 
Long, long, long ago (10 years ??), Cakewalk provided "VSampler" from MAZ-Sound. This company has closed.

TX16WX gets a HUGE thumbs up here! I used the crap out of VSampler when it became part of Sonars arsenal and was very disappointed when it became pretty much obsolete by staying 32 bit and then being discontinued!
TX16WX has filled that void nicely and the workflow and gui is very similar to VSampler. There is a Pro version that costs you little of nothing but I have been very satisfied with the freebie.

Perhaps I am confused by the OP, but slicing/stretching/layering is way more than "playing back samples." I *believe* that was the OP's point. Unfortunately, the powers that be will tell you "SONAR can already do this (it can actually), with a convoluted work flow." Sampling audio is another matter, but can also be done. Elegant? Nope. Functional? Yes.

Ironically, there are 3rd party tools which are exceptional at certain tasks. There is no reason Cakewalk could not partner with these companies (thus getting integration preference and bug fixes). This would be quicker, more effective, better product, and as bug-free as you could get.

I think there's a possible disconnect here. It seems the OP wants a lean, simple way to store samples and trigger them, not necessarily a full-blown, big deal sampler like Kontakt (and I don't think it's necessary to re-invent the wheel anyway). 
 
In addition to the aforementioned DropZone, Session Drummer is good for one-shot samples. But Cyclone is great for that kind of thing - it even has its pads laid out in the usual 4 x 4 matrix, so you can trigger it with all those zillions of controllers that have 16 pads. The main limitation is the pads don't respond to velocity, but the compensation is the way it can work with loops as well as one-shots, and lets you re-arrange slices. If it was velocity-sensitive, it would be a fantastic VI. Beatscape is a similar "matrix" sampler, and does have velocity. Some people find it unstable in their systems, but I don't have problems with it.
 
I feel part of the perception of SONAR not doing this kind of thing is that the program did groove/loop/sample-oriented stuff before a lot of others. For example it has always handled REX files superbly, even better than Reason until fairly recently. But because it was "so long ago," people overlook those solutions, and that's also why - even though they're perfectly functional - they're perceived as "long in the tooth." 
 
Finally there's Rapture, which does the "big boy" sampler features - keyranges, velocity switching, positional switching, etc. Although limited to six simultaneous samples, you can do a lot with those samples.