Herbian,
I agree with George. I think the SD-1 would be your better choice.. George knows his stuff and he can hook you up with a good deal.. Also, you mentioned that you don't care for a sequencer, but want a board that sounds good and performs well....,,,, Solton just made the perfect board for you... It's the XD-9... It's seems to be exactly what you're looking for...

Squeak
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GEAR: Yamaha MOXF-6, Casio MZX-500, Roland Juno-Di, M-Audio Venom, Roland RS-70, Yamaha PSR S700, M-Audio Axiom Pro-61 (Midi Controller). SOFTWARE: Mixcraft-7, PowerTracks Pro Audio 2013, Beat Thang Virtual, Dimension Le.