Mbox upgrade to 003 Factory

[buzzman]

I'm thinking about doing the Digidesign hardware exchange and trading in my Mbox (original version) for the 003 Factory. Other than the obvious "mixing without the mouse" advantage, are there other features that make it worth the $1800 price tag? Specifically, are the A/D/A converters and the mic pre's noticably better? Will the firewire interface make much of a difference over the USB connection? I work by myself and don't need a lot of inputs and outputs.

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.