This question involves field recorders and such:

I'm doing a lot more on location interviews and vlogs these days with multiple guests, requiring more inputs on my devices. I'm considering buying an old Sound Devices 788T to use for a stand alone mixer/recorder.

I plan to use my Grace Lunatec dual preamp into the SD 788T's digital AES input.

I'm just looking for users' experience with the 788T mostly, before I purchase one. Maybe someone here can answer some questions?

1. Can the unit record two AES/EBU digital tracks simultaneously along with the other 6 analog inputs?
2. Is the file transfer fast enough over USB so that I won't need to bother with transferring the CF card card back and forth to my PC for editing?
3. It is obviously an older unit. Are there any issues with compatibility with more modern equipment or is the 788T still a worthwhile tool to have and use? In other words, there are products like the Sound Devices MixPre 10T that operate at 32-bit depth and obviously have 10 imputs, etc., but I'm guessing that these devices are 'pro-sumer' grade. Is the 788T still worthwhile?