Mike...so what did you think of them?
If you can afford the $499 - just buy them. Period. I shutter to think what Andrew Jones is cooking up. He discussed with me Statement speakers and that sort of thing. Nothing even has begun to be developed, but he asked me "if you like those, what do you think I could do with an unlimited budget?"
Oh, and I asked him, "where can I get those stands?" He said, "the same place I bought them. Craigslist for $15." We laughed.
I have a funny story. We were all listening on the Saturday morning of CES. The speakers, as they did Thursday and Friday, were blowing people away. After the demo, everyone is really impressed and there was a buzz in the room. But then, this guy at the back (who was with a known electronics manufacturer), blurts out, in all seriousness, "Andrew, can you work out an accommodation price for me on those?" I laughed out loud and said, "they're $499 and sound freaking amazing!!!! Are you kidding? Frankly, I would be embarrassed to ask for a discount." Everyone laughed.
Hopefully Jock will weigh in with his comments.