There is always hype for any brand speaker above a quarter million let alone ~$800,000. I don't care how much hype there is is not one of them is worth the price of a nice home, or a couple of Ferrari's , or. ............... fill in the blank.
Debating whether Brand A's speaker is better than...
In the longer term McIntosh pricing will probably stabilize. Falling under the "Bose" umbrella my guess McIntosh will be held to even stricter MAP guidelines. My guess is dealers will be happy with Bose's strong balance sheet supporting McIntosh.
I can tell you that Wilson's, MBL, B&W, Von Schweikert, and Focal to name a few do not sound good at lower volume levels. They may not sound bad but I never found real enjoyment until a certain sweet spot was reached on each.
I heard the Studio Player at one of my local dealers and was very disappointed. It did not compare favorably to either the Select II or the Nagra DAC. A Cascade was not available at that time to enter into the comparison.
I will fly down there for a few days at the end of this month and again early in Septmeber for a few days. I have to get the internet and TV/Satellite set up in my wife's condo. I will give you a call if I can get away one day.