Embarrassing was a good word! 
If the OP is looking to buy one, and sound is the most important thing…? Heed the warnings!
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I love the A4 - and sometimes I want to sell it.
It does all the sounds and then some. But something about interacting with it is super inspiring at times, and other times, I’m like, “fire up sylenth, or Repro, or the Mini V”
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Seeing as you love virtual instruments at times, I fully recommend using A4 with OB. It’s the (almost) perfect interface for it. Modulate everything!
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It has a small sound compared to monsters like the OB-6 but might fit into a mix with less fiddling.
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Probably the best of the Modern Analogue synths for versatility and a wonderful sound. And i’ve been using synths since 1978 including the Yamaha CS80.
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2 voices smaller. And I don’t think the A4 was designed to be poly at first right? I might bite and turn all the oscillators on 5th, detune them all a tiny bit and then see. Actually i’m not really going for big. The OB-6 is beautiful sounding tho.
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It’s my favourite synth and would be the last one I sell. I own A4m1 and AK.
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I have the Novation Summit, Roland Vsynth Xt, Moog slim and Minitaur, Korg Radias, and several other synths and the A4 mk1 is probably my most used and loved synth of all time. The sound, the hefty set of parameters and the sequencer make it a beast. I love all my synth children as they all shine tremendously in one way or another but the A4 is just such a great tool. Never gonna give it up!
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I too LOVE my A4 and its beautiful and unique sound. Its versatility is also awesome.
When I first got it I didn‘t like it because I approached it like I would approach a raw, analogue mono synth. I didn‘t like the DCOs and I thought their „stability“ were the reason I didn‘t like the sound.
But then I learned how to actually use the A4 and I realised just how the synth responds to even the subtlest tweaking, unlocking its versatility and its many soundscapes. Plus, I realised the power of having such a great sequencer integrated.
I use my A4 in polymode most of the time, the pads and soundscapes I get out of it are gorgeous to me, and the options for sound sculpting are exhaustive.
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I’ve not used mine nearly as much as I’d like to just because I’ve got a few synths that’re also somewhat new to me that I really like getting deep with but I remember after making a few patches on the A4 I really didn’t understand the criticisms it gets for its sound… It definitely sounds weak if you just listen to a raw saw or sq but once you get some subtle movement using all the modulation potentials you have in there, the sound quickly comes alive!
one of the main things that encouraged me to buy it is the ability to use it as a drum machine which it pretty much does second to none, everything it can do outside of that is just bonus in my eyes 
Oh and I personally don’t find it to be an unenjoyable experience to program at all but I wonder how if being used to programming something like the SY77 or using vintage samplers has desensitised me to menus on synths haha… But for me, the A4 is not far off from being knob per function in use seeing as the pages are so logically laid out and so easily within reach.
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Well yeah… If you add movement, it will be moving or more ‘alive’. But it still definitely sounds inherently weak, as you say, so you’ve already answered your own confusion over the criticisms. Imagine a great violinist saying “yeah, my violin sounds really thin and weak, but don’t worry, I’ll chuck a bit of vibrato on it” 
Why wouldn’t you go for something that sounds strong and interesting with a raw saw or sq?
This is also pretty misleading: it is a long way from knob per function
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What synth would you replace an A4/AK with and why? (preferably something in the same price range or cheaper)
In the price range of a brand new A4 mk2?
And what do you want to use it for?
I like it
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one button click to enter the respective page
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Ok… and then the knobs do different things in each page… And you have to keep navigating between all those pages… etc etc. It’s nowhere near knob per function. It’s a totally different workflow and structure and I’ve no idea why anyone would pretend otherwise?
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I replaced mine with Behringer Pro-1 and Deepmind-12. Really good mono and polysounds with this combo.
Analog Four is a cool box, but the sound is not that special. It sounds sterile somehow compared to vintage stuff that Behringer clones emulate quite nicely.
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I think that if you want instant gratification look elsewhere, the thing with A4/AK is the sheer number of parameters mean that unless you are prepared to spend time learning it you will most likely come to a conclusion about how it sounds. But the reality is it can be rather chameleonic and somewhat time consuming to dial in what you have in mind.
I think this is why some people don’t get along with it, which is fine, I personally most of the time wouldn’t choose to go to my AK for a quick juno pad as I have other gear which covers that and much quicker, but that doesn’t mean the AK can’t do it, and depending on the user it can be fun (or frustrating) to dial that in. There is every possibility though that on the way to that sound you might find something cool and go with that instead.
Not many (any?) other analog synths have as many filters, envelope types, LFO options, oscillator options etc and of course not to forget the ability to instantly change sound completely per step in a sequence.
And then there is the comprehensive CV section, very handy and very flexible.
Probably one of my favourite synths ever owned, it doesn’t sound great, but it can sound great for sure.
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The oscillators sound no weaker or stronger than any other analog synth, I’ll happily debunk this myth.
I think where people get confused is comparing apples to oranges, numerous things need to be taken into account when making comparisons, for example:
- Filter fully open or bypassed
- Drift
- Frequency response
- Shape and pulsewidth
- Level/drive
If I could be bothered to do so I’d participate in a shootout of AK oscillator against any other analog synth oscillator for comparison, but I don’t need to.
The point being if you get everything right then you can get close enough to any equivalent oscillator, given the time and effort.
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It’s all a matter of taste, there are no objective answers to what sounds better. Despite how much you would like to ”debunk” it, to many, Analog Four oscs just don’t sound very good compared to other synths.
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