I'm sure lots of us understand your concerns on that front. My bugbear is that they have further reduced flexibility by going down to only one input. Two SLs would still be better than just one, even if not as flexible as the SL/SPDIF on most SL models until recently.

I'm curious about the 818. Analogue outputs? Or digital? Or both possible?

Presumably it will be a stereo-only device, a bit like an 808.3 minus the CD player; or to put it another way a reference level AC200 with LAN/ID40 connection to Sooloos.

Well, only a few days before the details are officially out...

Ex-moderator
Sitting room: dCS Network Bridge, 818v3, HD621, 8kSE
Library: dCS Rossini Apex DAC/Clock, Clearaudio Performance Wood, Audio Research PH2, Mjölnir KGST, Mjölnir PureBipolar
SWMBO Room: 210, D33
Kitchen: Meridian MS200, Genelec 6010 actives
Mobile: Audioquest DragonFly Copper, Sennheiser IE600
Desk: Merging Anubis
Server: Roon/ROCK/NUC
Headphones: Stax SR-X9000, Stax SR-007, Stax SR-404LE, Audeze LCD-X...

Oldest audio file: 1889 Edison cylinder