[HUROLURA]

Just a Virus newbie 2 cents tribute to the discussion (I just bought an old Virus A so I cannot tell anything about the Virus TI2).

First for me when thinking about such topic, is to keep in mind that sound and music are the most important.

Then working/playing flow is also of interest.
Value over lifetime is also important.

My general opinion is computer is at its best for sequencing, sampling and managing sound libraries.
Hardware is for me better solution for synth.
Any attempt to merge the best of both world is interesting for me (virus TI, clavia modular series, ... CreamWare/SonicCore Scope).

But here we should keep the discussion on sound synthesis quality.
There is theoretically no reason why a "hardware" VA should sound better or worse than a VST VA except for the programming talent of their designers.
Only other thing that can enter in line is DAC quality.

My experience so far is limited to hardware VA as I prefer hardware for workflow/lifetime value reasons.

The sound you can get out of different VA synth I own(ed) is obviously different from synth to synth because of their architecture differences.
I once had a Rompler with some synth abilities (digital filter ...) but the sound of VA is far nicer to my ears.
The model I know most are:
- Waldorf MicroWave: this one has its own flavour because of its synth principle (Waldorf WaveTable synthesis is really something special)
- Casio CZ: this one is special also because it is not a VA but the sound you can get out of it reminds the one you can get out of a filter though there is no filter inside. Once again some really special oscillator here.

These first two both have non standard oscillator that offer nice sound sources, combined with other nice tricks regarding enveloppe and modulation matrix to make the sound more living.
I do not know many VSTi offering such oscillator type, with the exception the propellerheads THOR which offer both these special oscillator types.

Clavia modular series is also a special thing in itself for its flexibility.

Regarding over VA I know: Waldorf MicroQ, Chameleon Australis, Novation KS and Access Virus are more similar in term of architecture but still sound quite differents because of details and specific tools they offer.

Now I should come to my favourite sounding VA synth which for me are sounding warmer than the others: the CreamWare/SonicCore gears which provide more warm bass sound. The Minimax, Pro12 and Prodyssey replicant just sound good though their sound design architecture is simpler than the one provided by the Virus/MicroQ for example.
The Minimax is meant to be a DSP clone of the original Minimoog (I do not have any Minimoog so I wouldn't dare to pretend it sounds the same) and provide a really good sounding solution (compared to the Arturia VST I already tried by a friend of mine for example) and the hardware control panel is just a pleasure compared to mouse editing. If we stick to sound only, this one (and the two other also) is also available in Scope PCI DSP boards, Noah and the cheap Plugiator/ASX series with similar quality (actually it is the same plugin powered by similar DSP with different host). Here a special mention about the really nice filter which is way ahead what I have with the other VA gears.
I have the same feeling regarding the Pro12 (inspired by the Prophet 5) which inherits from the more elaborate Prophet architecture (modulation matrix, unison, sync Osc). I also tried the VST form Native Instrument and Arturia without being really convinced (the idea of Arturia of merging Prophet 5 and Prophet VS in one gear is quite nice though). I do not mean they do not sound good, I just prefer the CreamWare sound.
Regarding The Prodyssey (an ARP Odyssey), the particular archtecture of the original Odyssey is great and the nice addition of the Minimax filter alternative is nice to have. Sadly, I never had the chance to compare it neither to an original Odyssey nor to their VST clones.

But I am really interested in what is offered by some more recent VSTi which I feel are offering new possibilities (propellerheads Thor, VA-1, Rob Papen VSTies, NI massive and Absynth ...) and the launch of the Muse Research Receptor and the SMProAudio V-Machines series could rise interest for me as I could have a hardware gear to host them.

I also would like to test the more recent Virus TI/TI2 and the Arturia Origin as I feel these are some of the most interesting of their generation.