There are a lot of complaints about DXO version 5.2 -- I thought I'd give the other side. IMHO, it's fantastic (albeit not perfect) software. It does fantastic raw conversions: (1) sharpness is unparalleled -- I use lens "softness" set to "0" which based on camera, lens, f stop and focus distance, "corrects" each lens to bring it to a standard level of sharpness -- wow is it sharp and detailed without sharpening artifacts, (2) chromatic aberration is close to perfectly controlled with the same camera and lens specific controls like for sharpness, (3) ditto perfect geometric distortion control, (4) color is great (with many options including many film-specific looks), (5) DXO lighting does the best job I've seen of preserving highlight detail, shadow detail, global contrast, and micro contrast of any program I've seen -- and does it all automatically. BTW, I've been using Photoshop for over 10 years now and am an advanced user. I cannot duplicate in Lightroom and Photoshop what DXO achieves automatically.
I know -- there are a slew of complaints about DXO. It's not especially fast, the interface takes getting used to (though unlike many I prefer the version 5.2 interface to the version 4.5 interface, now that I'm getting used to it), and installation can require trouble-shooting (I had to trouble shoot my 5.2 upgrade with DXO support; but they were very responsive, sending me 3 or 4 emails over a week-end, until I got it going; now it's running perfectly, knock on wood).
My workflow is (1) raw demosaicing in DXO, output to DNG files, (2) further raw conversion in Lightroom (this is still possible, though you can't go the other direction, from Lightroom to DXO), (3) output to Photoshop for additional fine adjustments where needed, output sharpening, and printing.
When DXO has profiles for your body and your lens, it offers an order of magnitude better sharpness, color, and detail than otherwise can reasonably be achieved. It's so important to my workflow that I wait until my lenses are supported for a new body before purchasing it. BTW, there are a lot of professional dedicated users -- including Alain Briot. I don't think it's perfect software, but it's a beautifully flawed jewel.