Kosst..."Direct to consumer models depend entirely on aggressive advertising schemes..." Far from it. The vast majority of ID speaker companies spend practically nothing on advertising, let alone ’aggressive’ advertising. Most rely solely on their set ups at CES’s, and word of mouth from very satisfied customers. Lots of these guy such as Salk, Fritz, Ascend Acoustics, Philharmonic Audio to name a few have been around for years because they offer great sounding, quality products at reasonable prices, offer personalized service, and have a rabid following of happy customers who upgrade within the brand.