Gladmo,
Exact same boat here, the Pontus offers a sound signature that is near perfect to my ears. I talked to Alvin, and he suggested the Iris DDC would take the Pontus to a new level…..and he mention that some are finding the Pontus plus DDC preferable to the Venus.
A Pontus Iris combo is is $700 less than a Venus, and the Pontus Hermes is the same price as the Venus