Mbox Or Mbox 2? Options

[jonhell]

Hi,

So, I've recently purchased a Mac Mini, and I'm trying to put together a budget home studio to make demos of my original songs, which I plan to give out or sell at my solo performances.

Since I'm a singer/songwriter, and I'd be overdubbing any backing instruments myself, I think an Mbox would be an appropriate interface to buy. My question -- I'm trying to decide between the original Mbox, which can now be had for around $350, or the new Mbox 2, which is $100 to $200 more. The selling points of the original Mbox, it seems, are the Focusrite preamps and the lower price, while the Mbox 2 comes with a more extensive package of plug-ins, and also has greater capability for using MIDI.

I'm wondering if anyone's had any experience with the Mbox 2, and if so, if they think it's worth spending the extra money on. My last recording-related purchase was a Tascam cassette four-track nearly a decade ago, so I'm looking at this upcoming purchase as something I'll use for many years to come.

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.