I have had various Tripath-based amps (from Michel Mardis) and presently use an Ice amp so I have been following all this with great interest. But I have to say I have reservations about how you are going about this. It appears you are trying to do too many things at once and are in danger of getting a bit lost. Why not just concentrate on getting the Virtue line established and on the market; get a good reputation, a solid market base? I wonder if you are not shooting yourself in the foot adding the Ice amps to the mix. Unless you have committed yourself to this approach, would it not be better to take a step back? It's going to be very hard to acheive the same level as has already been acheived by Bel Canto and Wyred, whereas the Tripath technology can be explored further and costs less to acheive comparable sound excellence. It's no reflexion on Gary Dodd's work, which is known to be excellent, but I do think you're introducing too many variables. There are simpler approaches. As for the upside down cup, I'm pretty sure that's for resonance control, although it could also mean 'I give up"!