I like the classic because i found it much easier to navigate through than the new ones. I liked how i could simply enter a number without scrolling through or connecting a laptop.
While it is true that you don't have the number pad as on the original CEM, there are SOOOOO many more features that you get with the CEM+.
To top it off, this isn't really something that you can go out and buy. Yes you can upgrade a CEM to a CEM+ if you really want to. However, I think that there are so many more things that a theatre department is going to spend it's money on before it does this that is is not really worth talking about that much.
You get a CEM+ when you buy a rack. CEM's are no longer made anyway.
I like my number pad. I think that it is critical that any rack with 96 dimmers in it have a number and menu pad in order to do quick jobs on a rack without hooking up a computer.
I had to formulate an answer to this. First off, I have to agree with jmabray, there are just so many more and useful features in the new Sensor+/CEM+ racks. I have found very few instances where I need to use a computer to make changes to my racks. All of the most common features are easily accessible through the menu structure of the CEM+. It doesn't really take any longer to do any work without the number pad. That, and all of the things that you can do with a computer make the CEM+ a far superior unit.
Poll closed, and thread un-stuck, as another revolutionary new product from ETC is forthcoming. Then the CEM+ can take its proper place alongside the MicroVision.