For those that have heard Dutch & Dutch 8c..

@willywonka 

Seems that the DSP process happens at a later stage, so it won’t be disabled. Whether analog or digital, the signal is treated the same way. Both are manipulated in the digital domain. The analog signal is converted back to digital before processing and back again to analog. So unless you’re using a DAC/streamer, you can skip your DAC. 

@spenav I can't speak directly to your particular dac or whether or not you would detect a change.

I've been using the 8c with a variety of dacs and direct digital inputs over the years.

I use a Bacch-SP as my primary front end and it has very high quality dacs. I've used this source to feed both an analog or digital signal straight to the 8c and I have a very difficult time hearing any difference, but I think that this says more about the A to D conversion, given that the 8c D to A is the common denominator regardless of input.

With that said, I've also run the Bacch straight into SET tubes feeding 115db horns which tend to reveal everything, and I don't feel like I'm missing anything when I go into the 8c.

Lastly, the 8c can stream Tidal or Qobuz over Roon or Spotify natively over ethernet. This allows for a lot of clutter removal.

I hope this helps.

I am seriously looking at the 8C but I probably will keep my LUMIN X1 until at least I can be sure the 8C alone can handle everything flawlessly. Thanks. 

I’ve had my 8c for almost a year, replacing a big rig of shindo a23 and Aqua.  The whole point and beauty of the 8c is you can dump all your other shit; this point is proving exceedingly difficult for many to wrap their heads around.  
 

You have to Ethernet the Dutch to communicate with your network (no streaming), and then everything is controlled from your Roon (my laptop wirelessly). That’s it.

 When everything is implemented together like this, the results are ear opening.  I also have a TT; you’ll need an XLR from your phono to the Dutch for that.  For those wanting to integrate into HT, it will add complexity; mine is 2 channel audio only.  
 

Did I loose some “musicality” switching from high end multi box costing 5x?  MAYBE 5%.  But now I also actually have real bass and full treble (and can easily alter it on the fly as I please), the room correction addressed the awful acoustics in my listening space (most listening spaces), and the massive reduction in complexity, physical size, and greatly diminished  chances for system failure are a much needed sigh of relief.  About once every 12-18 months there are new software updates that keep improving it.  

There’s certainly a sex appeal to glowing tubes and an altar of beautiful electronics, but these speakers represent next century offerings that run circles around it.   Plus I still have my TT (which surprisingly sounds much better on this new “tech” rig than it ever did before).

What are the options should Dutch and Dutch no longer be in business in ten years?  What situations could one find themselves in should that be the case?