Digital Amps? Marketing Hype?

Well, if you do a little research, you will find that most digital amps are, in fact, class D switching amps and they work fairly well for analog audio. In fact, I find the Bel Canto eVo amps quite excellent regardless of their technology. There are also exceptions, like the TacT and the Spectron, which will accept a digitial signal directly. So, it's not just marketing hype.

As for digital speakers, again, you have to define what you mean. At the moment, I know of NO digital speakers on the market. What I do see are two things which you might be thinking of. 1)Speakers that will accept a digital input like the Meridian DSP series have in-built digital eq/crossover and amps and they are quite good, in general. 2)The so-called 'digital ready' speakers which are marketing hype.

What stimulated your annoyance?

"So you are right Kr4, I do need to do some research;"

Yes. There's a lot of info out there. Try the Tact and Tripath websites for a start.

"however, it seems to me that class D amps are not digital but rather 'described' as such."

Depends on your definitions. I tend to agree with you but I am not bothered by this minor shading of word use.

"I am not familiar with the digital ammps you mentioned, but it seems they behave as DAC's."

Some do.

"That is, they pesent to the speaker load a signal which approximates an analog signal. It is the physical limitations of the drivers (load) which actaully produce
an analog signal. Your thoughts?"

All have a reconstruction/HF filter at their outputs, so that they output a smoothed analog signal. Relying on the speaker/crossover to do this would be an uncertain application.

I think you can find that ANY widely selling audio device will be strongly represented on the used market pretty quickly. It is not a reflection on quality but on the nature of audiophiles.