William, the only reason to spend $2,000 on a mixer is to get functionality that a lesser priced mixer cannot provide. For example, how many auxiliary sends does your mixer have? You need one (post fader) aux send per mix-minus. You need one mix-minus per Skype computer. So, if you do a Skypezilla arrangement like Leo Laporte, you need four aux sends just for Skype computers. Joe de Max has the same set up. There are many other features on the 16.4.2 that justify its $2,000 price tag.

I'm not being snippy when I ask, what car do you drive? You can get a $1,000 Ford Taurus that will get you every place your present car will get you.

If your present mixer does what you need, there is NO reason to upgrade. However, if you spend $150 on a mixer, then upgrade to a $300 mixer, then upgrade to a $1000 mixer, then upgrade to a $1600 mixer, you would have been better off to spend $2,000 and get one that did not need to be upgraded as often (or ever.)

Price is relative. Someone on a podcast recently said, "Until recently, I thought $30 was expensive for a microphone." Well, I had a Neumann U47 long body, chrome top condenser microphone that I sold for $6,000. And as I said before, you would not be able to tell the difference over Skype or the Internet between the $6,000 Neumann and a $150 Apex 460.