S8 sound card and standalone quality

Hi - looking at the S8 while its currently on offer to replace my xone 4d.

I have owned various NI bits and bobs in the past - s2, s4 and most recently the kontrol z2 which i really liked, but the sound quality when using vinyl wasn't all that and the quality when using traktor was not as good as my xone db2 which i had before.

Hence reverted back to a xone 4d which i've mapped and use with 2 decks in dvs set up. The sound quality is excellent and I get the best of both worlds in terms of the A&H circuitry and a quality sound card in one box - also perfect whether using dvs or traditional vinyl. (these are plugged in to a pair of Genelec 8050 and an ATC C1 sub)

So, can anyone shed any light on this or is it another NI product where they've forgotten about sound quality?! As I like the screens and the pads. Shame Allen & Heath don't bring out an updated 4D

any opinions appreciated - cheers

I'd like to know the answer to this question, too.

As a standalone mixer, is the signal digitally processed in any way? If so, what kind of A/D converters is it using? Or, is it a hardware mixer, with some kind of signal fork (diode)?