Hey!
You make some excellent points - and our respective microscoping for sure is but microcriticism, but, there are some professional features-sets that are absent on the Akai and prevelant on the Tascam.
First, the wavform editing on the Tascam is comprehensive, and quite similar to Pro Tools and other DAW type editing. You can cut and paste any region of a program you wish, trim up takes, and otherwise perfrom master edits and view your work on a big VGA, instead of a tiny LCD. Now, what that has over the Akai I don't know, other than the LCD limitation, and my guess that it doesn't do waveform editing at all - but I could be completely wrong.
And you are so right about having 24 tracks - having 16, you will ALWAYS need more!
The AW2816 / AW4416 records 16 tracks at 24-bit / 44.1 w/ no data compression, and the converters are great in it, and the sound is fantastic. It's footprint, like the Akai , is very small. It uses 60-mm faders, which I personally don't like, and the Akai has 100mm long throws - very excellent. So at the end of the day you really can't go wrong with the Akai; it IS a professional unit. One of my best friends, who is a guitar-legend of sorts, an amazing engineer in his own right and completely anal about sound quality, is about to release his thrid live album, and this one is by far the best, both performance wise AND sonically. It was recorded at 16-bit on 32-tracks. So bit rate can be subjective SOMETIMES, and if size (the Tascam is very big and weighs like , 100 lbs) track couint and certain features are all taken into account, you can't make anything BUT an informed decision, and make out with the best choice for you. I am partial to the Tascam because of it's many features over the otehr DAW's - but those things are particular to my needs.
I remember the very first Akai 4-track beasts - they were great. I would get the Akai since you have sort of signed it with your desire already, and if it doesn't meet all of your expectations and needs - you'll know in a week or so - take it back and get something else. Liek ray Charles said recentkly in a documentary about legendary engineer Tom Dowd: "You can have 96 tracks - but it's what it SOUNDS like baby, it's what it sounds like!"(laughing)
Good luck!