I forgot to mention, I'm on a single Mac Pro quad-core, so having a network of machines with VE is a moot point for me. Also, I don't use panning at all, I do stage placement via Altiverb.
I think I may have just talked myself out of using VE. ;) I don't have any problems with the VI interface other than that silly "Show Window" button that comes up when I double click the Vienna Instruments AU on any given track. I'd seriously pay money to get rid of that thing. Why is it that no other AUs do that? Is it some kind of wrapper, maybe? Is Vienna on Mac just really a VST with some kind of AU wrapper around it, hence the extra step?