Hmmm, what new Mac Book Pro has firewire? The USB connection(or any connection, for that matter) has no affect on the sound quality. It may affect how much latency you hear or how many inputs can work at one time, but for recording 1 or 2 tracks at a time, even USB 1 will work. You do want a computer with enough power and speed so you can record at a low buffer setting(like 64 or 128) as any higher setting will not feel comfortable(for this same reason, avoid tracking with plugins that have high latency). My last 2 cents, get a new interface. The 002 was never noted for being "good sounding"
The little Behringer UMC202HD is a great sounding little unit
