Well, yes the Dude still abides in my system and will stay! I tried a Bent product a couple of years ago that only had one input if I recall. The best passive I have tried was the Lightspeed. If money was my number one issue, and I needed to obtain the best sound I could for very little money, I would look to the Lightspeed.
In my systems the Dude was just more pleasing to listen through. I am far more engaged in the music with it in my system compared to a passive.