I've done most of my recording lately direct through my POD HDdesktop, including vocals. However, I recently purchased a condenser mic requiring phantom power, which the POD does not have. I'm also a bit unhappy with the latency of the POD when recording using input echo (been experimenting with Guitar Rig).
 
I recently picked up the M-Audio M-Track plus, but I am REALLY unhappy with it. The preamps are noisy, ridiculously so, and not powerful enough to suit my tastes. I'm going to be taking it back, but I'm wondering what else is out there that would better suit my needs. 
 
I'm a one-man operation, and really all I need is a mic input and a guitar input so I can take better advantage of low latency when recording while using plug-ins like Guitar Rig. 
 
I've looked at things like the Focusrite 2i2, which seems promising. My problem is, I need to get something quickly, and I'd also like to take advantage of any "Black Friday" deals that may be happening, so, while I research as well, I was hoping someone out there might be able to share any recommendations with me. Looking for something with good, clean sound and decent levels. 
 
Thanks for any help on this!

Well, of course the answers to this question will be largely opinion, as is mine.
I have been spoiled by the performance of my trusty E-MU0404 PCI card. For a long time, I was not particularly impressed by the performance of the USB interfaces I had seen. Generally, the minimum latency was just outside of what I considered tolerable.
With contemporary machines, this seems to have improved some.
I really like the look and specs on the Focusrite Scarlet series, but I am currently working with a Vista machine, and they suggest a minimum W7 platform. That said, with the appropriate platform, I would look very hard at the Scarlet series.
I have limited faith in USB power, especially when phantom power is involved. It may be fine, but I'll take a wall wart any day. 500 va only goes so far.
For me, that ruled out the 2i2 and 2i4. However, the 6i6 offers external power, and is a very attractive unit.
Sweetwater currently has a killer deal on the 6i6 And I am a big fan of their 3 payment plan.
Ultimately, I went with the AKAI EIE PRO.  Reading the reviews, it became apparent the the people that were happy with it knew what they were doing. It was a bit of a long shot, but offered two things I found very attractive.
Phantom power could be applied to the four audio inputs in pairs (1/2 and/or 3/4), and it has a built-in USB bus for multiple MIDI controllers( which was huge for me). Initially, it was a little shaky, but after messing with buffers and driver modes, it turned out to be a very decent unit. The pre's seem respectable. Reasonably clean, and plenty hot.
I record a lot of MIDI live, and use amp sims for my guitars, so low latency performance is paramount. To that end it has not let me down.
Again, at the outset, it was not a happy camper, but once it settled down, it has proven to be a good choice.
M-Audio has a similar unit in the wings, but theirs has not been released yet.
I'm not saying it's the best, but for relatively inexpensive hardware($249 US), it is a viable contender.

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. 
 
I was actually looking at those Focusrite units, and, as someone new to these interfaces, I think I'm more with your line of thought that external power is a safer bet. I can't seem to find clarification of external power with the 6i6, but I'll dig a little further, and yeah, that Sweetwater deal is pretty great at the moment. 
 
Thanks for the feedback!

If the interface is not having many inputs, USB phantom power is fine.
 
One of the forum member is selling his Roland Quad Capture at a good price :
http://forum.cakewalk.com/Roland-UA55-Quad-Capture-for-Sale-m2940116.aspx
 
The Quad Capture has good low latency, I was practicing guitar and testing Guitar Rig 5 (stand alone) at 48 samples yesterday. I use the phantom power to supply power to a D.I.
 
With Sonar and more tracks, I normally set it to 96 samples and I hardly noticed any difference.

Kerch
 I can't seem to find clarification of external power with the 6i6, 

The specs aren't really clear, but look at the photos of the back panel on the unit.

Robert, thanks SO MUCH for the help. I found a similar deal to Sweetwater on Amazon.com and bought the 6i6. Just got it today, and wow ... what a difference some quality makes. The M-Audio unit was just crap compared to this. Quiet preamps, great sounds, worked immediately after drivers were installed, great interface ... very happy! Thanks again for your input!!

tomixornot
 One of the forum member is selling his Roland Quad Capture at a good price

I was going to suggest the same thing. In fact if I had not just recently picked up a VS-100 from a forum member (@ a real good price) I would have jumped on the QuadCap.

Great, Kerch.
Yeah, good tools can make a huge difference, and Focusrite has a good reputation. I'm glad that worked out for you.
Rock on.

If you're interested in a Quad, which samples up to 24 bit 192 Khz as opposed to 24 bit 96 Khz,
and has Autosense, and better pre's....I have one cheap if you're interested and I'll ship it free..

Let me know...here's the Roland Site to look at the specs and compare..

http://www.roland.com/products/en/QUAD-CAPTURE/