Damn man! No dedicated media keys is a dealbreaker for me! I love the idea of a dedicated volume knob or wheel! I need a traditional 104 Key configuration! I realize that you mechanical keyboard gurus will shake your head in disgust But it looks like the das keyboard pro for me, frown!
DrummingManFN + Pg up/ Pg Down is volume, and all the other media functions are right in the same area. I used to think the same and quickly realized it's an easy switch to make. You get much better options for what keyboards you can choose if you're not worried about the media keys.
DrummingManYou can do as I did, and get a Sound Blaster Omni that sits on the right (or left) side of the keyboard and a bit forward. Then you can use its volume control just like a Das Keyboard 4.