[linux-audio-user] USB audio interface - Terratec Phase26 any good?

Dear all, In the hope of getting my Novation Speedio USB audio interface to work properly, I've updated my Gentoo box to kernel 2.6.16, ALSA 1.0.11... but it still sounds like underwater gargling. So, it's time to give up on this and get me a USB audio interface that WILL work. It looks like the Terratec Phase26 would do what I want quite nicely (except for those nasty RCA connectors - too unreliable for my liking). Has anyone used this successfully? If that's not suitable, maybe I'll go for an Edirol UA-25, which is often highly praised on this list. Unfortunately it lacks a coax digital input, which would be helpful (cos my hardware synth has a coax digital output). Thanks for any comments, Peter C