SUNNYE we must be on the same wave length. I'm in the same boat. I narrowed down to the Janome 8900 and Crescendo. The brother dealer here is not helpful at all.
My thoughts are:
Janome is a great brand. I really wanted the 7700 but the dealer said it had too many problems. I had never heard that, but looked at the 8900 and really liked it. Love that the foot storage is up top, not down around the bobbin housing. Tried lots of free motion with no problems. I did not have to adjust tension once. Just dropped the feed dogs.
Over all I feel like the machine is one of the quietest ones with all the different things I tried on it.
I'm not crazy about the dealer though. They always have some combination of toddlers in the store. I love kids and understand having to take them to work. But they end up running through the place screaming and fighting. The new owner classes are not free either.
Crescendo has some new and different features than the Janome. Is also a little more expensive. The new walking foot is belt driven and amazing! Comes with the machine. It runs very smooth and no longer has the clonky walking foot sound. You can also disengage the belt and sew normally without changing out to a regular foot.
The stylus and laser light are new. The laser has several different posistion setting to the left or right of the needle. Good for keeping seams in the correct place. Easier to keep your fabric lined up since u aren't relying on the measurements on the throat plate.
With the stylus you can set a stopping point on the fabric. This helps with stopping at the end of a decorative stitch. Not stopping with the design halfway done.
Stylus also is attached to the machine, not going to get lost easy. Works on the large color screen.
I know this isn't everything just what I liked.
Stadium lighting is L.E.D. and awesome. It can be adjusted up or down.
Overall its more advanced than the Janome IMO. It also weighs a ton, not easy for me to haul to class.
Babylock dealer includes new owner classes for free. Is also very helpful.
I am also debating getting the Babylock Tiara instead of a new sewing machine. It's a sitdown long arm.
Overall I'm stuck!
Let us know what you decide and how you like the machine!