Apollo Duo v. RME UCX for Pro Tools

[drkwb5]

After researching many interfaces, I have narrowed my selection down to these two.

Apollo offers class leading plugins and reliable customer support. However you pay for this with the $1999.99 price tag.

I don't know how much better the piece is for the money when you consider some of the cost must be put into the DSP engine and plugins.

Also, the Apollo does not have midi. Necessary in my application for syncing a DR880 drum machine to Pro Tools.

I use a Lexicon MPX unit which must have s/pdif to run across all channels in Pro Tools. Both units have s/pdif.

I also use a 6176 channel strip to play all instruments and voice through. So that may negate some of the preamp qualities.

I will also have to replace the Digi 002 console. My choice is the Avid Artist Mix over the Mackie.

Questions:

1. Which offers better analogue sound?
2. Which is easier to learn coming from a Digi 002 console?
3. Which is more reliable given the driver issues associated with Pro Tools for
the Windows 7 platform?
4. Which has better tech support?


Current Equipment:

HP Elite with Intel Core i7 950, 16 Gigs of Ram and AMD Radeon HD 6570 video card.
Digi 002
Pro Tools 10.3.8
UA 6176 Channel Strip
Lexicon MPX 550 digital processor
AKG 414B Mic.

Thanks for the assistance.

Dr. Ken