MEN220: preserve analog stage (with tubes) or accept A/D/A conversion?

I’m trying to figure out the best way to integrate a McIntosh MEN220 into my system without undermining the point of the rest of the chain.

Current setup:

• Digital source into a T+A DAC 200

• McIntosh C12000 preamp with NOS tubes installed in the tube stage

• C12000 onboard phono stage also using 4 x NOS tubes

• Pair of McIntosh MC611 monoblocks

What I’m wrestling with is MEN220 placement.

From what I understand, if I run the chain as:

digital source → T+A DAC 200 → analog out → C12000 (tube output stage / NOS tubes) → MEN220 → analog out → MC611s

then the MEN220 is converting that analog signal to digital for processing and then back to analog before it reaches the amps.

My questions are:

1. Is placing the MEN220 between the C12000 and the MC611s the best practical position in this system?

2. If so, how much of the sonic benefit of the DAC 200’s high-end conversion is effectively lost once the MEN220 re-digitizes the signal?

3. Same question for the C12000 tube stage: does the character of the NOS tubes still meaningfully come through, or is a lot of that reduced once the signal is A/D/A processed by the MEN220?

4. For vinyl, if I’m using the C12000’s onboard phono stage with 4 x NOS tubes, does inserting the MEN220 after the preamp largely defeat the purpose of chasing an all-analog / tube-based front end?

5. Is there a smarter way to wire this so I can preserve a purer straight analog path for serious listening, while still using the MEN220 for room correction when needed?

I’m not anti-DSP at all. I’m just trying to understand whether, in a system like this, the MEN220 should be treated as worth the tradeoff because room correction gives a bigger real-world improvement than preserving the untouched DAC / tube / phono chain.

Would especially appreciate input from anyone who has used a MEN220 with higher-end DACs, tube preamps, or vinyl front ends.