Out of all IEM companies out there, CA is probably my favorite (Sony is not an "IEM company", so it doesn't qualify). I owned 2 Andromeda models and tried most of their higher tier stuff. I think they make really good sounding headphones and price them reasonably.
My only issue with them was that their "stuff-it-all-in-there" internal designs which gave me the impression they were doing more tinkering than engineering. Well, that and the fact that they didn't seem interested in pushing the envelope in terms of materials and construction (I actually said numerous times that if they made a Ti shell, I would be very interested). Why are materials important? Well, Al, for example, has high heat conductivity, which leads to issues like nozzle condensation.
Anyway, it looks like they just needed more time to get there. Kudos to them!
As far as the release cycle goes... They're a young company and thus cannot operate under the same business model like giant Sony. I have no issue with them releasing a lot of stuff and can understand that they can't afford to simply sit on improvements for 2-3 years until they have enough to warrant a new product. If it "offends" people because they no longer feel like they have the TOTL product, so be it. What, you think you have the best that Sony has to offer? I'm sure that they already have some new prototype that improves on the Z1R, they're just not going to release it until they feel like the improvement is substantial enough (also the investment in the Z1R production line and marketing has been made up for).
I think it's no secret that KB is a fan of Sony and it should come as no surprise to see CA taking inspiration from the Sony designs. From the advanced materials to the inner housing/refined phase structure, it's all a move in the right direction if you ask me.
