mixerguy,
Well it's not like the Icon will be sitting where an SSL4000 used to sit, & the Duality will be stuffed away in some tidy machine room. They both would occupy the same space in the control room. Let's make a list of similarities.
1-They both will have monitors placed on top of them.
2-They both will be installed in the same space in a control room.
3-They both can control Pro Tools
4-They both have an abundance of knobs relativly configured to perform similar purposes
5-They both control channel EQ
6-They both control channel dynamics
7-They both are relativly shaped the same
8-They both give control rooms the 'wow' factor
9-They both can control machines
10-They both can control sequencers
11-They both can control MIDI events
12-They both have control room/mini monitor control sections
13-They both have the same relative amount of track metering
14-They both can handle 5.1
15-They both have relativly the same amount of faders
16-They both have fade/mute automation
17-They both are considered 'large scale/format' consoles(the Duality will probably be nominated into the same 'Large Format' console TEC award category for 2007 as the Icon was for 2005).
And, so on, & so forth(I can go up past 100 if I had the time to do it) etc,......
Do you jayfrigo, C. Lambrects, & others get my point yet? Agreed they're not 'exactly' the same. But, they fulfill the same function in many many ways.
Threshold.
P.S.: And, you know that if you see these two consoles in pictures of 'Mix' magazine, 'SOS', 'Resolution', & etc. they'll both be pictured/placed in the same section of all featured control rooms. Put down the magnifying glass, & check out the big picture once in a while.