Guys... an MPC is a computer sampler just like your computer. Yes, it is true... it samples at 16 bit 24 khz. It only sounds better because of its solid state preamps. Guess what... you can buy a tube preamp for your computer and beat the tar out of an MPC as far as sound quality. Believe it or not, it is a FACT!!! Don't get me wrong... anyone that uses an MPC... more power to them, but if you are buying it because it sounds better than a computer... you are high. Hell, my preamps in my Delta1010 are as good as the MPC's. I mean really... if you are using a SB live, you are not going to get a hot sound, you've got to have preamps.
I just sold my mpc2k for $650 because I am not using the thing for anything but a midi controller. Getting sounds in and out of it is PreHistoric. A complete waste of time. By the time I load my samples into the thing, I don;t want to jack with it anymore. I can get a real preamp for the computer ($700) and a MPD16 (Or better controller $200) for the pads and Fruity Loops($149)... and have a way hotter set up for less money.
I Love the MPC, but lets dispell the myth. It is an outdated piece of hardware (4000 not included, I have never used). If you love it, keep using it, but quit telling people that you have an edge, because you don't.
By the way, Antares Tube Preamp VST really makes a difference for low $.