Follow up:  I received the Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 and am quite happy with it so far.  The install went well - it was completely painless.  Because the device has 8 separate ins and outs I am also using it as a digital mixer, allowing me to shed a line mixer and a patchbay, which really cleaned up the back of my recording desk.  I have watched a few videos on the mix control and have played with it a bit, but don't feel I know it yet.  I did receive an extra year of warranty through Sweetwater (which I hopefully will never need) - so that gives me a little more comfort in the purchase.
 
I think the pre's sound good - I plugged my bass straight into channel 01 (which accommodates instrument levels) and I was surprised at how good it actually sounded.   I have always used a preamp and/or a DI in the past - may not always do that now.  I haven't loaded the effects software yet - so more fun ahead!

Still really liking the 18i20, the addition of the 8 I/O's has made the recording process much more flexible to my needs.  The Scarlett MixControl is starting to make some sense....
 
The only glitch so far - the preamps in the 18i20 don't seem to have adequate gain for my Cascade Fathead II ribbon microphone.  I have an email into Focusrite asking about this- but haven't heard back yet.  In the meantime, I have opted to run the Fathead into my Aphex mic pre and then into the 18i20 at line level - which works great.  My other condenser and dynamic microphones work fine directly into the 18i20.

Yea, ribbons need a lot of gain, which many interface preamps just can't supply.  Companies make special "ribbon" preamps, but most external preamps can supply the necessary juice - most built-in low cost interfaces don't supply more than 60 dB of gain.
 
Glad you have it sorted out.
 
@

To back up a little, trusting a review by a persons review who is possibly biased due to monetary gains from a company ? Careful with those glowing reviews from the "industry". One has to be care full with all reviews. In a way I trust user reviews more than the ones from the so called Pros.  
User reviews need a lot of filtering but you can normally get a "feel" for a products good/bad list.
My favorite is a review by someone who just bought something yesterday and is all fired up about it... Lets see a follow up after you live with something for a while. Those are the reviews I will more or less trust. It will start with, "I have owned this for a year or so now". 
You can also tell sometimes if the reviewer is just a regular bloke. I never trust any review that states " this is a complete piece of rubbish"  This person most likely either got a defective unit or is incompetent at using gear.