We got the upgrade legit, and it is quite good. It has a neat "on the fly" gain control when in edit mode that allows you to adjust parts of a track that need it..Kinda like a normalize feature but real-time adjustable, and that makes for some easier mixdowns.
Speaking of that, this version of AA interfaces much more smoothly with the Mackie Controllers for auto-fader control etc.
ONE small thing..maybe Emmett has been able to crack this..but according to Adobe this was an "undocumented non-feature" that, now, no longer works..Here goes:
In edit mode I used to be able to highlight a segment of a track (with a flub or something) by LEFT clicking the mouse and highlighting the mistake.. then while holding the mouse button down be able to hit the space bar and the highlighted section would play..NOW with AA3 it won't playback until you let up on the mouse button..mkes it a lot harder to isolate a consenant etc..it's..(gulp) a lot more like Pro Tools...
Overall 3.0 is smoother, has fewer glitch issues, and in general is a much better tool for production IMHO. It's certainly worth the money.