I purchased a Babylock Esante (6x10 hoop) approx 4 years ago after deciding that my Brother SE400's 4x4 hoop size was not going to satisfy me. I love my machine. I can use any thread out there, even Metro Embroidery thread. I have not been able to sew very much recently so am just now coming due for a cleaning. But no problems at all with the machine. I purchased a Babylock Melody earlier this year just as they were being discontinued. I love it as well. I seem to have all the sewing features that I use from my Esante. In hindsight, I wish I had purchased the Melody first since I have not done enough embroidery to warrant the expense of my Esante, but the embroidery is nice when I want to add a little extra to something and I might have been less likely to ever buy an embroidery unit that sews while having a great sewing machine already. Having both machines, my goal (when i have enough space to have both machines set up at the same time) is to use the Melody as my sewing and the Esante as embroidery only. Having two machines, they act as each other's back up.
On a note, I upgraded from a $60 walmart brother machine that my mother gave me back in 1999. I was amazed at the pure joy a good machine gave me the first time I sewed on my Babylock. I would never have bought into the idea that the experience could be that drastically different, but I can now say I'm a believer.