[BScout]

+1 for what Darryl said
If you want better, get better converters (MTRX, etc) or pre amps. BLA is nonsense.
The HDIO 8x8x8 is what it looks like (with a missing cover.)

Hard to keep track on your speaker tangent. So, bluntly, my stereo set of monitors is more than x2.5 your "cost a fortune" Adams. Still wouldn't care about the BLA snake oil. MTRX, Merging, Lynx, Burl are all in the ballpark price of the waste of money that is a BLA mod HDIO.

As for Pro Tools "education" courses... why are you doing it? If just to learn, there are plenty of cheap/free tutorials. If to get a job in the industry, absolutely no studio is going to care about Pro Tools "certification." Experience, apprenticeship, and a trial period where you show your skills, attitude, and efficiency will get you a job.
(When I used to hire, listing Pro Tools certification would be a slight mark against a candidate because it meant they were really, really green to the industry.)