Originally Posted by Mtns
The cabinet for the new 8Ks are made of the same material
True, however, I suspect there is more to it for a few reasons:

a) As you mentioned, the cutout for the woofers have changed - as has the cut out for the display (now replaced by a glowing logo)
b) The material used is a sandwich of alternating wood/metal layers glued with resin which means they can't simply change the woodwork, but rework the build process (with all the SQ testing that goes with it)
c) The panel of the DSP8000XE simply won't fit the DSP8000 models - I seem to recall this is, in part, down to the new transformers used

I was talked through the new panel in a visit to their HQ and they really have redesigned the boards in a very significant way. I believe the 8000XE is an example of what they could achieve when not working to a particular price point. For this reason, I'd love to see as much as possible trickle down.

Prolific music listener / Hi-Fi addict!