I agree 100%. I've been running stereo since I started gigging in the late 70's with a Rhodes and Roland Chorus Echo.

I know a lot of pro players who stick to mono, and I can understand it. It's a bit more effort, and there are ways that stereo can goof you up. But if you manage a few details and use stereo effects properly, coordinate as needed with FOH, and set up your stage rig reasonably, the rewards are dramatic.

If there's anything I hate it's going to a show to see a live performance, and all the music is coming from dead center in mono. Sure, I understand that in big pie-shaped arenas, that's often the only sensible approach, but I see this in lots of venues that could use stereo effectively. And when everything else is in stereo but the keyboards are just panned a little left, it's a shame.

In particular, acoustic pianos sound so much better in stereo. Of course, many stereo sample sets don't sum well to mono, and going stereo dodges that bullet. But even for those that do work well in mono, or for folks who take the time to select mono piano patches like the ones on the CP4, stereo sounds so much more lively! Furthermore, with any patch that has good stereo imaging, you can play at a lower level and yet still be more clearly heard, than in mono. The brain is amazingly good (even for me, with my age-appropriate hearing loss at 57) at locating sounds due to stereo imaging cues. When you run in mono, you're depriving the brain of all those cues; your instrument sits dead in the mix with everything else all in the same space. Add stereo imaging cues, and the brain far more easily separates the instruments. Result: you can play at lower levels and be heard more clearly!

However, I'll admit that if I were gigging multiple days every week, I'd probably stick with a simpler mono rig to haul. Once a week, and since I play for my own enjoyment rather than for income, it's hauling the second monitor and a few minutes extra setup.