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KORG M3R is the low-end version of the M series.
KORG M3R (1989)
2MB ROM, expandable with a PCM card compatible with M1. The samples are selected from M1's 4MB. Some new sounds are added in M3R, later inherited in the upper model -T Series / M1EX.
Here are .mp3 sound examples of M3R. The demos are recorded without external effects and overdub.
DWGS (450KB)
M1 is the first KORG PCM synthesizer with 4MB ROM. M3R is the lower-end version, and later came T series with 8MB ROM, expandable with 512KB RAM.
M3R's competitor at that time might be YAMAHA TG55 - 1U rackmount PCM synth with 2MB ROM. While M3R has better effects, TG55 has multimode resonant filters. M3R and TG55 have very carefully selected waveform sets. Though they have only 2MB, the samples are very useful for synthetic use.
YAMAHA TG55 (1989)KORG 03R/W seems to inherit the concept of M3R - lower-end 1U version of the upper model, 01/W. Both M3R and 03R/W can be edited with RE1 remote controller.
I think M1 and M3R sounds warmer than the next generation ai2 synths like 01/W and 03R/W. This may be partly related to the gain structure - When the volume is set high, M1/M3R tend to clip very soon, while 01/W always stays clean.
KORG 03R/W (1992)
KORG RE1 (1989)KORG says their new M3 keyboard inherits the tradition of M1 - so it may also be remotely related to M3R, though it seems that KORG decided to forget the existence of M3R. The module part is called M3-M.
KORG M3 (2007)I once dreamed of a keyboard version of M3R. It could have been a good entry model, when M1 was still pricey.
Deep Synthesis: Home2.13.2007