Currently using the M-audio audiophile ( fire-wire )
 
Other than more ins and outs .  is there an an advantage to the Tascam ( being a lot newer )
 
How about with USB 2.0 vs 3.0
 
thanks
WG

I have the US-16x08. For USB 2 v 3, I'll use the US-20x20 as an example of the latter.
 
To your main questions, I have found the US-16x08 to be a really solid interface. It's much easier to find on sale (I got mine from MF on a Stupid Deal for $200, but any price under $250 would be excellent) now that the US-20x20 is shipping.
 
So why switch? Is your current i/f lacking in some way, or are you just considering a general upgrade/personal Xmas present? Whatever, here are a couple of things to support upgrading to the Tascam i/f:
 
1) Tascam is now developing and supporting drivers in-house, with the US-NxN series being developed internally from scratch. I'm sure you've seen plenty of posts on a variety of forums (fora? ) about audio interface driver issues. The Win10 driver for the US-16x08 has been very stable for me (although we all had to wait 5-6 weeks after the release of Win10 for working drivers) as of v1.03. v1.04 is current. I'm recording using the smallest buffer sample size possible (64) with no glitching.
 
2) Great hardware. Quiet mic pres with plenty of headroom. Split phantom power (Mic Ins 1-4 and 5-8). Selectable Line Input levels for the 11-12, 13-14, and 15-16 inputs. Defaults to an 8-input mic pre (feeding direct to the 8 Line outs) when no USB connection present. 2 switchable line/instrument inputs on the front panel. The only thing I wish it had was a second headphone amp. I have no need of ADAT or S/PDIF expansion, so no need to add that complexity and cost. Oh. One little thing I just LOVE is that the Line outs are "buffered" on power up/down. They don't pop my powered monitors if I forget to power them off/on in the proper sequence.
 
3) USB 2 is stable, and works well on most PCs and laptops today. It's also sufficient to handle the bandwidth requirements of the US-16x08. I have no desire to sample above 96 KHz, so 192 KHz support and the significant additional bandwidth required is waste to me. Look at the US-20x20 specs and see what you lose, i/o wise, when you sample at 192 KHz. I don't get it.
 
4) The US-16x08 is rack mountable in a 1U space. If you wind up using all of those inputs in a recording session, you're likely to have multiple musicians wearing headphones. I'm going to add a 1U Rane headphone amp to my kit at some point, and will stick it and the US-16x08 in a 2U Gator Pro portable rack.
 
USB 3 is an evolving spec. New physical connector. New cable. New hardware. New drivers. And Intel is now shipping CPU chip sets with native Thunderbolt 3 support (Alienware is already shipping a laptop with Thunderbolt 3 support; waiting on Windows and app support now).
 
So, USB 2 strikes me a the "state of the present" vs. USB 3 "state of the art." Your sensitivity to the pain associated with bleeding edge tech will be a good guide.

+1 for the Rane Headphone amp.  I have one I got used on ebay a few years back.  I love the thing except it has a HUGE transformer in the middle of the cord and a strange connector on the Rane side of the plug.  Other than the weird plug thing, I really like this headphone amp.
 
 

patm300e
+1 for the Rane Headphone amp.  I have one I got used on ebay a few years back.  I love the thing except it has a HUGE transformer in the middle of the cord and a strange connector on the Rane side of the plug.  Other than the weird plug thing, I really like this headphone amp.

Some good info on why that transformer is there:
 
http://www.rane.com/note110.html

Thanks!  nice reading.  I don't feel so bad about that transformer now. 

Though I haven't used the M-audio or that model of TASCAM, all the new TASCAM N x N hardware is pretty much the same, as I understand it, and the 20x20 sounds pretty darn good.  A definite step up in AD from my TC 48, which is simply older hardware.  No so much you just have to have it, but it is there.  You can hear a difference with the TASCAM UH-7000, but that is a different beast

I'm familiar with Rane's transformers.  I have a Rane compressor / Limiter   same deal.
 
My main thought is the Firewire issue , and the Firewire interface is picky - everything has to be shut down and then restarted for the firewire to be recognized  - and even then sometimes I have to reboot it if Sonar does not recognize it.    More of a nuisance than anything.
 
I guess my biggest curiosity would be newer technology since the M-Audio is in the legacy category and increased I/O capability.  
 
Of course...   i could do some research and pick up a ProFire 2626 since I made sure my  M6500 laptop had fire-wire.  I will admit, I have not looked at any other I/O's since the Tascam is a really good deal ( and looks like it will only get better)  even though I have not seen one with a $200.00 price tag.  which would be a no brainer.
 
 
 
 

A good argument to shop!
 
2) Great hardware. Quiet mic pres with plenty of headroom. Split phantom power (Mic Ins 1-4 and 5-8). Selectable Line Input levels for the 11-12, 13-14, and 15-16 inputs. Defaults to an 8-input mic pre (feeding direct to the 8 Line outs) when no USB connection present. 2 switchable line/instrument inputs on the front panel. The only thing I wish it had was a second headphone amp. I have no need of ADAT or S/PDIF expansion, so no need to add that complexity and cost. Oh. One little thing I just LOVE is that the Line outs are "buffered" on power up/down. They don't pop my powered monitors if I forget to power them off/on in the proper sequence.
 

woodsglen
...
Of course...   i could do some research and pick up a ProFire 2626 since I made sure my  M6500 laptop had fire-wire.  I will admit, I have not looked at any other I/O's since the Tascam is a really good deal ( and looks like it will only get better)  even though I have not seen one with a $200.00 price tag.  which would be a no brainer.

Although the idea of installing an app on my phone just to monitor MF's Stupid Deals of the Day (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pages/stupid-deal-of-the-day-app?icid=205619) is anathema to me, it's a consideration. I just happened to see a post (I think it was in this forum) back in May/June sometime, that the US-16x08 was on a SDOTD for $200. I was actually in the market for a US-4x4, and was waiting on a sale price (which I've never seen), when the US-16x08 hit the SDOTD. I have never regretted picking it up. I'd actually be happy to pay $250 for it (it's standard street price), now that I've used it for a few months. I'm still amazed at what you get for the money. Really good design decisions, IMO.

Just out of curiosity, can you use matching transformers to get 16 XLR inputs on the 1608?
That would be nice!