Theo,
I agree also I love my record (vinyl)albums for the gestalt of the whole thing, the cover art, the cleaning, the care of putting it on my deck and playing it, being able to hold it in my hands.
Here's were Ivor is different than the rest, it is just like the sondek in that he is not just supplying demand to what the masses think they need. He really is taking a chance by structuring his endeavors and his success around what he thinks is best. Agreed, he is pushing his DAC system at the expense of not selling you and I a CD player along the way. In the past he was willing to stand up against huge groups of nay-sayers and argue his point convincingly enough that people could get beyond their preconceived notions. And only then when they listened... instead of arguing some past theory, they heard their music better.
I just wonder if this is the start of a huge shift.
Happy Listening!