I'm with Brad,
the unit is deep enough as it is, no way I'd want all of those controls on unstepped pots!
We have the /M version, I would go for it.
As far as customer service goes, I've had nothing but excellent support (and it's very rarely needed). More often then not Dave and I end up going off on some audio tangent after a few minutes on the phone
The stuff never breaks and never needs fixing. Weird about your pots, Holger. I did need some hand holding when the HEDD was upgraded with new AD/DA boards, and had a sync issue with it waaaay back when, but that's about all I can recall.
Cheers,
Thor