My main keyboard which I have had for quite a while is a Roland Fantom S88. I love it, but when compared to other keys, the action is kind of like cinder blocks stuck in mud. So after a time I have adopted a pretty heavy handed style. Every once in a while if I get too aggressive, I can hear a bit of plastic creaking on the M-Audio. But it's been a few months and nothing has broken yet, so short of a hammer, I feel pretty certain its a close to worse case scenario for abuse. I don't know if it will last close to forever, like those keyboards that cost a well over a grand. But for the price, even one year, is one less I have to spend on worrying about getting a main replacement.
For my purpose of using internal MIDI instruments within a DAW and having one consistent playing surface for multiple keyboards, it has worked great so far. From my experience the action is slightly stiffer then a Alesis A6, Juno-G Roland JUNO-G 61 Key Workstation Music Keyboard and Korg PA80, ever so lighter then a SH-201 Roland SH-201 49-Key Music Keyboard Synthesizer , and like balsa wood compared to the S88. In my opinion comparable and similar to those keys mentioned, (except the semi-truck keyed Fantom).
The USB cord could have been longer (a lot longer). The advertised programing is really pretty rudimentary in practice, unless you got no other choice and a knack for remembering what the slew of hidden functions are assigned to which keys.
As a straight out MIDI controller, I'm satisfied with this purchase.Get more detail about M-Audio Keystation 88ES Midi Controller.
