Yes, no doubt, when you take the price into account, the Easel is economically irrational. It used to be that it was the only way to do that and get that sound , so it was easier to ignore cost, but now the Arturia Easel gets the sound and the MicroFreak plays sort of similarly as an instrument. But I’m still trying to get a sense of how the Easel is in your hands, and how it responds to the moves you can make with it, that is, move in a musical way through different timbres and sonic textures in one organic performance. People with hands on experience of both seem to be few and far between.
I’ll try anything and then re-sell, writing off the “experience cost,” but due to my location, I’d have USD 250-300 shipping charges, and 20-25% customs duties. Re-selling, I’d take a loss of USD 1500-1800 even if a buyer paid me what I paid, so that puts this kind of purchase in another class for me.