I just purchased a used Babylock Espire ( model right before the Symphony). Knock on wood, I am getting used to her and so far, I'm really liking her. I also have a Bernina Aurora 430. She is great, but the BL sews much more smoothly with far less noise. Good luck, it can be very hard to make a choice. I also went to our Viking HQ store and I so wanted like the Sapphire. Unfortunately, it immediately nested in the demo the dealer had me set up for. I felt badly, but it immediately turned me off.