I think a lot of the BPs (bipolars) are not placed correctly even by the HT stores. BPs can be tricky. If the room acoustic is bad or placement is bad, you end up with bad sound. But the Definitive direct radiating speakers like the ones your friend has, don't have the same concerns as the BPs.
Also, I a lot of audiophiles hate Definitive because the company does not post detail graphs/specs. To make matters worse, Definitive does not even post the +/-3dB deviation. Instead, Definitive post the "overall" response, which is like -20 dB on the low frequency.
Another thing is that Definitive has like a million advertisements in all the magazines, which makes them look kind of "cheezy".
On the other hand, you hardly see high-end companies like B&W, Linn, etc. advertise their speakers.
I don't know. I think there are a lot of factors.
But I love the sound of Definitive speakers.