Its secret weapon is the analog VCF. Unlike samplers of the same era that used digital filters (like the Mirage), the DSS-1’s SSM 2044 chip (the same one found in the Rev3 Prophet-5) adds resonance and saturation that modern plugins cannot replicate.
: Reviewers consistently warn that the original floppy drive is "hideously slow," sometimes taking nearly a minute to load a single bank. korg dss-1 sound library
The DSS-1 has (no save memory). When you power off the unit, all sounds are lost. Therefore, the entire sound library exists on floppy disks. Its secret weapon is the analog VCF