I'm with DebraK - I love, love, love my 6600!! I have quilted queen and king quilts on the 6600, and the free arm isn't a concern. (I do have an old machine with a free arm, which I use about once every year or so.)
I also love embroidery, so I have a Janome 350e embroidery-only machine. It has been great, but I'm getting ready to upgrade to the new 500e. I made the decision to have an embroidery-only machine because it allows me to embroider and sew at the same time. I have never regretted that decision.