I own the IO26 and I just want to see what other people are saying about it. I personally love it. When I first got it, the headphone out was not separate from the main volume control so I had to get the control matrix from Samson so that I could control the volume in the control room without interfering with the person recording. That cost me a hundred extra dollars plus the cable costs. Only thing I can say is it was worth it only for the talkback mic and now that I have 2 pairs of monitors, A/B Switching plus I can shut my sub off using it. Anyways, since I got it they put out a new firmware/software upgrade that makes the volume control seperate. I just ordered the smpro pre 8 mkii and it will be here on the 21st. Overall I am very happy with the quality of the interface. Great features and upgrade possibilities. I like the phono in plus two adat lightpipe inputs to add another 16 channels of recording. It also has SPDIF in that works great for recording keyboards with digital out. Everything is balanced the the preamps are not bad at all. I just wish it had a phase reverse switch on the top and 10db pad (or at least a phase reverse for monitoring when I mic underneath a snare drum). Great features, small package, 8-ins, 8-outs, easily expandable, and an outstanding price. BTW I am a Cubase user but I have not heard of anybody having problems with other programs.
Haven't had it for that long (since December I believe?) but so far I give it a BIG thumbs up.
-Lee