Kinki studio EX-M1, EX-M1+ differences... vs Denafrips Hestia/ Hyperion combo?

Couple years ago looking for summertime ss amp to replace my 845SET tube amp/space heater. Had both Musical Fidelity  M2si and Hyperion in for audition, much preferred MF. In my setup the Hyperion was overtly dark, closed in, small sound stage, images, one of the most disappointing audio purchases ever. I'm willing to entertain the thought Hyperion just not sympathetic with my Coincident Statement preamp, Based on specs, no impedance mismatch.
I did hear Hyperion matched with Hestia at sellers residence, not familiar enough with his system to make informed impression. Perhaps its informative to mention it was his third choice system out of three systems in his house.

jwlaudio, you're on the right track with Decware amp. I used the Hyperion with my modded Klipschorns, not a good match. I'd stay with tube amp for Klipsch. And you don't need that much power anyway, if you want ss amp try the Musical Fidelity M2si, now that is a sweet sounding ss amp for Klipsch, won't break the bank.

While I can't say anything specifically in regard to Athena, my experience with Hyperion leaves me skeptical that any Denafrips product would be to my liking. The extreme darkness, closed in voicing of Hyperion leads me to believe company doesn't voice their products towards the neutral. Perhaps they balance out end sound signature with darkness in one component, lightness in other, not my cup of tea. I want all my components voice towards the neutral, I can flavor myself.
I also hear this overly warm characterization from some Denafrips Terminator users. Seems the new + series has improved greatly upon this. Perhaps the Athena will reflect this new voicing at Denafrips, in which case it may work well for you.

@dkerr For amps I have Coincident Turbo 845SET,Art Audio Carissa Signature 845SET,  custom built 300B SET monoblocks, Prima Luna Dialogue Four (modded with Takman resistors and Miflex and Mundorf capacitors, use exclusively with EL34 these days), Coincident Statement line stage, Klipschorns (extensively modded, only bass enclosure stock).
I also had Musical Fidelity M2si ss integrated amp in for audition at same time as Hyperion, MF sound signature light and lively compared to Hyperion. All my amps more modern sound SET in nature, not rolled off on top, tight bass. Klipschorns, and all Klipsch generally thought of as bright speakers, mine far more refined, but definitely not dark.
I really dislike criticizing equipment, but I have to say, Hyperion had perhaps the most apparent sound signature I've ever encountered in an amp. I've also been through many other push pull tube and class A ss amps over many years, none, with perhaps a Conrad Johnson MV-55 were quite this tilted towards the warm. It wasn't just the sound signature that bothered me, it didn't resolve very well either, smaller soundstage, less dimensional imaging, obscured lower level details. I actually thought the amp broken or no burn in at first. Both were accounted for, no issues here. For what its worth, guy I purchased from had perhaps seven, eight amps in house, this was the only one selling, and he didn't keep long.
 The only way I could see Hyperion working is in extremely up tilted system and/or for someone who enjoys warm syrupy sound. For context, In spite of my preference for SET tube amps I prefer slightly to the analytical side of neutral, Hyperion on far end of warm in my system and for my ears.

I've recommended the MF2si any number of times to those seeking a nice sweet sounding ss integrated. Don't let the $1k price fool you, relatively low powered ss has always worked best for me. I'd for sure check into the First Watt, would be my first choice for low powered ss, many flavors available Still, based on your stated sound preferences, I'm not sure any ss will deliver the full measure on those.

@regismc , based on specs Statement linestage should be fine match to Hyperion. Statement output impedance 500 ohms, Hestia 400 ohms, Hyperion input impedance 22k, both well matched based on amp input at least 10x higher than pre out. This is by far the most important spec for pre to amp matching.
Output to input sensitivity of Statement to Hyperion is also close to other amps I use with Statement, Coincident Turbo 1v, PL Dialogue Four 880mv, Hyperion 1.8v, Hestia does have much lower output voltage than Statement. Still, I didn't have to run Statement at extremely low range of volume selectors, yes, a bit lower than other amps, Also, the Statement doesn't use volume potentiometers, transformer based volume control doesn't have favored portion of range. Therefore, Hyperion was used within parameters that would allow it to perform at it's highest potential. I stated how I used Hyperion and how it performed in my system, I stand by my comments. As to how it will perform in other systems, I can't say.