Audible Differences Between..... Options

[pturiello]

i have a couple of questions...1. how much difference in sound quality is there between say a 001/828 and a TDM system?? obviously some but...2.i'm planning on getting some sort of interface(i have a G4). The number of simul. ins/outs isnt so important as the overall sound quality and performance and price. Basically is there anything cheaper than those that are just as good? how does say an audiomedia III fair against a 001/828? I used protools at school a lot and played around with Cubase and Logic a bit. Software compatibility isnt much of an issue. I'm mostly using it for multi-tracking and eqs and effects. 3. on a side note which software has the best effects(VST, RTAS, etc...) or should i say BETTER sounding effects??? thanks for any and all help .......