All,
I wanted to share my recent shopping experiences with you and seek your
advice as well. I have been searching for a low-cost ($100-$150) USB
audio interface for use with my Mac PowerBook. The requirements, other
than cost, were simple: that I be able to record 2 tracks from it
through USB, that it had preamps, and was able to provide phantom
power.

The first one I came across was the M-Audio mobilepre ($149):

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/...base_id/103189

I'd read good reviews on this unit, and it met all my requirements, and
I was ready to purchace one.

Then, after some digging on the musiciansfriend site, I found the
Alesis Multimix 8USB ($149):

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/...base_id/119001

I had never heard of this unit before, but the specs said that it could
send 2 tracks of audio to the computer through USB, and it met all my
other requirements. In addition to that, it was a fully functional,
stand-alone mixer, and came with some DSP effects.

To me, it seemed that the Alesis was the best deal.

I wanted to get your thoughts on these two mixers. With a budget of
$150, which would you choose, or would you recommend something else?
Thanks so much!
Joe