What you describe as easy in Emplode is exactly how iTunes also works. I don't use it with automatic syncing, but I believe it's the default unless you turn it off (like I did).

iTunes has a lot of really slow portions, but clicking from one item to the next in the source list (the list on the left) is usually instantaneous. And I have 30000 tracks in my library.

Things that I find really slow it down are accessing your music over the network, especially when it's doing things like checking for gapless information and updating artwork. Things it does every time you add new tracks and that you cannot (in any way) disable. You can cancel, but it will do it again/continue the next time you add tracks or restart iTunes.

I think iTunes is the most intuitive music management program in even moderate use today. This is after version 7. Prior to that it was crap because it didn't have any concept of albums. My empirical evidence for this is that every other would-be music manager is copying from the iTunes UI design. This includes Media Monkey and Song Bird which I mentioned earlier. Song Bird developers defend this by saying that they're not copying, they just implementing the most reasonable methods, which iTunes just so happens to also use. Yeah right.

iTunes has a LOT of (huge) room for improvement. But no one has written anything even half as good for any platform.