A 2nd hand Philips DCC recorder for about 50 to 80 euro might be a solution.
It's a 19" 2 HE device with 18 bit converters, a decent preamp, really

In record standby mode (just as a converter) it doesn't produce any noise from the tape unit.
You'll get 2 additional analog channels, a poor man's dat and a tape deck for those memories from past days with sony
