Sorry to jump into this conversation late. I recently auditioned a pair of of the DIs, and wanted to do some research before purchasing. This is an interesting discussion. I do take issue with some of the points made, however. I'll plead guilty to enjoying the part of the hobby that continually swaps gear in search of the Holy Grail of music reproduction. What I don't get, is the hyperbole surrounding new equipment. Where does it start, and how does it end? How many ads do I need to read about cables that "out-perform cables costing 10 time as much". Etc., etc., etc....
If the purpose of gear is to enjoy the music, didn't the KEF (or other) speakers do that? What would move a person with tens-of-thousands of dollars wrapped up in electronics and cables to become dissatisfied with their >$20K speakers and seek out new speakers costing a fraction of that? If the AZ, KEF, or otherwise weren't satisfying, who's to say that it was the speakers? And if that pair of $10K monoblocks that were driving those >$20K speakers weren't providing a satisfying listening experience, might one have to change out the rest of their gear also in seeking out system synergy? Are the folks at Wilson and Revel and Acoustic Zen (and KEF, etc.) shitting in their pants that their >$20K speakers are going to be made obsolete? And what if Tekton comes out with an even better speaker? Will it out-perform speakers costing over $50K? I mean, where does the maddness stop? Well, I'm glad that you guyz who bought the tektons love 'em. I just wonder how long you'll hang on to them... :-)
I guess what I've learned after years (and years) in the business and in the hobby are a few things: Start cheap and work your way up the audiophile ladder, never buy new gear, as it becomes obsolete or out-performed fairly quickly, and know that new (to you) gear will never sound the same to you in your home as it did to a reviewer or in someone else's system.
