I know nothing of the DCS so will leave that to those that own it. But we bought an NXR almost exactly 1 year ago and love it so far. Personally for the price of under $2000 I seriously doubt you will find any better. Great burners, all 15,000BTU and all go down to a very low simmer. Can fit 4 large pots on it. Has a very nice infrared broiler. Heavy duty grates and heavy stainless oven racks. We bought the older model which we preferred NRG3001. Not had a single problem with it so far and if I had a do over I would buy the same stove again. We bought ours for $1799.

From the KP manual The Turbo Boil burner (18k BTU) is the most powerful burner for cooking in larger pots, for canning, for large amounts of soup, or for boiling water, and it is located at the right front of the cooktop. • The Simmer burner (5k BTU) is best suited for simmering delicate sauces, and so on, and it is located at the right back of the cooktop. • The Power burner (12k BTU) is recommended for bringing large quantities of liquid to temperature and when preparing larger quantities of food, and it is located at the left front of the cooktop. • One standard burner (7.5k BTU) may be used for most surface cooking needs, being designed to fit most cookware. It is located at the left back of the cooktop. • The Simmer Oval burner is located in the center of the cooktop and consists of a center burner (the 5k BTU Oval Simmer burner) and an oval burner, consisting of two, 12k burners. The center, Oval Simmer, burner can be set separately from the overall Simmer Oval burner. This is badly written bc it makes you think the center consists of 5+12+12 but does this actually mean the center is 5+12 = 17? If so, total of 59. If not, and center is 12, then 54. I am looking at all gas too.

I have a KitchenAid propane gas cooktop and a KA electric oven beneath it. I do not consider myself to be a gourmet cook (pretty basic). Our gas cooktop has a big central burner with 2 levels which got hubby's attention but found it is too "hot" for simple dishes like slow cooking chili. What I like best it is easy to clean by removing the grates. I typically use 1 or 2 of the smaller burners that have the right heat adjustment. It really helps to walk around showrooms and try out the knobs and feel and weight of grates, doors etc. KitchenAid is pretty but also $$$ and apparently made by Whirlpool judging by the labels inside if that helps any.

I found that the size played a bigger role in aesthetics than I thought. In a very large kitchen, a 30 inch range may look underwhelming but you may be able to compensate for that visually to give it more presence. My kitchen has a very long wall. I had initially been leaning towards a 36 in induction cooktop with wall ovens placed elsewhere. Because of the proportions of the room, and some other considerations I went with a 48 inch midnight blue Aga Elise induction to be surrounded by white cabinetry and a blue island. Once the range went in, it still looked too small for the space so I had the cabinets on either side painted in the same navy blue to give it more presence. You are wise to consider the overall proportions of the room. And yes, aesthetics do matter.