I'm really happy with my TAPCO 4x6 firewire interface. It was only about $160 from Musician's Friend, and I'm able to layer tracks with no latency issues, whatsoever. It also came with a DAW that I really like: Tracktion 2. Because I have Windows Vista, I needed to upgrade to Tracktion 3, but only after I cruised around for a bit, and decided it was designed in a way that was very easy for me to learn and navigate. It only has 2 inputs, but they are 1/4"/XLR, and it does have phantom power. It's a great product for the price, and it beats any USB interface because the firewire is so much faster.
Good luck on your shopping/researching.