Digital Mixer vs Audio Interfaces? Yamaha 02r?

[minime123]

im looking for at least 48 mono channels of mixing of analog signals and need a setup thats got instant recall so i can switch between projects. id also like to keep things cost effective.

ive been thinking about getting a yamaha 02r fully expanded with those 8 analog input cards as i like the idea of having a dedicated mixer w dedicated physical controls and i think this will cost a lot less than a ton of audio interfaces.

opinions, please?

02r users - will the 8 analog in expansion cards work well? will i have the same control (effects, compression, fader, etc) over these inputs as i would over the stock inputs? is it easy to switch between the stock ins and these ins? ive heard mixed opinions on the sound of these 02rs - isnt there supposed to be a yamaha expansion that improves the sound, other than the v2 chip? speaking of which, how much would v2 run me if i were to get an original 02r and how necessary is this upgrade?


thanks
mini