im a bit confused, you say you need spdif out, but then ask whats the point of having spdif?? anyways i dont know much techy stuff, wazza, source or even tubby are your peeps about the spdif question. but in terms of cheaper but quality mixers. have a go of reloop. i have the iq2 which has great sound, and some of the best faders (ive tried 2 different behringers, djm 600, djm 700, stanton SA3 and none compared. i have not yet tried any with innofaders). all the reviews say the same about reloop mixers. now they dont have all the features and bells & whistles so there may not be one to meet your needs, but they mos def have tops sound.