Well, not all engineers are created equal. From what I read Duke is a pretty good one though.
I've said it elsewhere in different terms; one mark of a good engineer is the ability to understand what is negligible and and what is not in a good design. In the case of audio (which is a less precisely defined science than many of us would like to think), the best designs seem to emerge from talented designers that not only know the technical side inside out but also listen to their designs and are pragmatic enough to know to trust what they hear.
Duke is one such designer!