Alesis Andromeda A6

I took a *quick skim* of it.  One thing that seems to be
different... the ION seems to have only linear curves for
its envelopes.  Aren't the A6 envelopes one of the digital
parts of the machine?  Perhaps the ION with such envelopes
would be a little too close to its sibling?

Of course the A6 isn't a rival.  The MS2000 is at at
the same price-point as the ION.  Then you have the Roland
JP-8000, Yamaha CS6X, and finally into the Novations,
Access Virus C, and Waldorf Q range.  If the specs are
to be believed, the ION should compete well with **ALL**
of these.  Looks like a powerful synth for the price.
With all those filter options you should be able to coax
lots of unique sounds out of it.

Caveat: no ribbon controller  :-(