Hi Candace...
I'll 2nd everything Daren said. Its a great idea.
the 671 is my vote for "best bit bucket", and w/the option of getting future MODs from Doug for another $400 when the apogee dies is a great thing.
another option..
Cascade Media and their MOD Edirol R4.
4 channels of love, fat hard drive, 24bit action and still under $1500.
whatever you do, ditch that lead battery setup and get some Lithium Ion solution.
Oh....and ML's rock. I used to have some SL3's myself for a while. I agree that 24bit PA recording is, for the most part, moot for 24bit recording. You get more air detail, but not really any music detail.
that said, I still think recording at 24/44 is the cats ass, and doesn't require the massive storage issues that 96khz does and does keep all the doors open.