I make a lot of soup in winter, and manage perfectly well with a saucepan and a hand held blender, which cost around £11.
However, I do know some like the soup maker as it does the sauteeing/sweating of the veg etc, then cooks and blends.
Personally, unless you have a lot of cupboard space, I'd stick with the pan and blender method!
For stock, I buy Knorr stock pots rather than cubes. There are a good range, including vegetable and herb ones, which seem to be labelled "Herb Infusion" and come with different herbs, so need to check the pack to see if they are the herbs for you.
Welshy, if you've never made soup before, may I suggest you start with the pan and blender, before splashing out on a gadget that you may not use.