Is the kit likely to be available before or after Xmas?
If all goes well then yes. The kit will be available.
Are you optimistic about showing them at CES?
Not really, and not really worried about it either. I have other clients to tend to right now and need to get their products ready for CES.
How good a fit is this class of technology for rock music (vs. say your open baffle product)?
Nothing breezes through high SPL's like the line source designs.
Is a sub recommended?
It depends on how much really low end output you want. These should hit -3db points in the mid 20's.
Just as an update, Dan Wiggins has two versions of the new woofer right now that he is going over. We are trying to figure out why the BL factor on the XBL^ design is low. If he comes up with a solution then this can move forward pretty quickly.
For the manufacturer to figure out how to get the XBL^ design to work properly has been a tremendous delay.