I have the Cremona M's and they are a serious improvement over the original Cremonas. That said, a large part of the increase is due to the diminished dollar vs. the Euro. You will find most high quality imported products increasing their prices if you revisit where they were several years ago. Tough time to buy imports. On the other hand, US companies (McIntosh, ARC, Thiel, etc.) are a great value overseas now.