Choosing an Audio Interface for Looping - No General Recommendations?

["Krispen Hartung" <khartung@cableone.net>]

With all this discussion, and also my observation of similar discussions 
on 
other lists, including MAX/MSP, my only sound advise to anyone wanting to 
buy a audio interface for their pc or mac notebook, is to find someone who 
is using the same system as  you (same software, audio interface, 
notebook, 
etc), and just replicate what they are using. As I've said before, there 
doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. Some people use one audio 
device and experience great results and low latency; another person will 
observe the opposite on a different system.

Each time someone thinks they have cleverly narrowed down the cause of low 
latency or some other quality problem on their system (yes, even a mac), 
and 
consequently tries to generalize this as a recommendation for everyone, 
someone else comes along with a different system and has no problems with 
the interface. The power of counter-example with audio interfaces is quite 
amazing on this group and others. It's as if no general statement about 
any 
audio device holds true as a general recommendation, and price seems to 
have 
nothing to do with it.

This being said, when I purchase a new macbook pro in January, I plan to 
do 
some user research (in the max/msp community) and find someone already 
using 
something with desirable results (close to my standards and user setup).  
I 
was leaning toward the Fireface 400, but even that recommendation was 
based 
on an older mac system.  I can't say for certain what I'll buy.

Kris