check out http://www.da7.com da7
I've only very good things about this unit.

I highly recommend it. I own one, like it very much. IMO, it's the best price/performance package of all the small format digi boards and sounds better than most if not all. In particular, Panasonic really got it's summing right. The onboard EQ is good, the automation works great, the compressors are not wonderful but certainly useful and useable. The GUI is very good with not a lot of menus to page through. Took me no time to learn to use it. All bugs have long been squashed. Cons, only a couple for me. There are only 6 mono aux sends/returns and two are digital. And I wish the HUI control profile was just a little more comprehensive. Check out DA7 dot.com, the user group for more info. There's a bit of a flame war going on there at the moment but lots of knowlegeable members and good info in the archives.

The current Guitar Center price is a monumental bargain. -Dan Weiss

Buy it. At the price you can get one now, an excellent bargain.

Don't expect upgrades.It seems on it's last legs. But they got this one right, so all that's moot.

the only minus is the amount of time you think a max 48k sampling rate will be viable for you...i expect to get at least a couple more years outta mine, perhaps a fair bit more.

one would think that by the end of this year or early next there will be at least a few low cost 24/96 consoles for project folk out there...but a higher sampling rate does not a better sound make, necessarily.

this board sounds good! :tu:

48k done well will kick ass over 96k done badly any day of the week.

I use a DA-7 all the time for projects and I cannot recommend it higly enough. Compared to all of the other low-priced digital boards out there, it really sounds good.

Its pluses: Good analog front end, with decent 24 bit converters, Easy to route anything anywhere. Decent EQ, usable (but not great) compressor, but with routing, you could easily patch in any other outboard gear without problems. Good automation that can chase really crappy signals coming into it...

Minus: Compressors aren't fantastic, but usable. No internal reverbs, etc... BUT I patch my Lexicon in off of the digital aux sends/returns. Aux 3-4, and 5-6 analog sends and returns on single 1/4" stereo plugs.

--Ben