Totally understand.
Here is my and I'm guessing others perspective:
Punk band hires me to record their EP. = $1000
I can either A) Put $500 of that towards a set of 184s, a TLM, pay rent.
B) Put ~$500 towards a GREAT sample set.....of which I will use 4-5 individual drums for mix augmentation, but have paid for 40 kits that I may never use, or not any time soon.
I think that is probably the number one issue with anyone that hasn't purchased one of the current product options. It is for me.
Given your licensing situation, I totally agree an EX is probably the next best logical step. And if you need a beta tester for it, I am totally available! I'm all about honest opinions when asked for them.