Sure can't argue that it is too damned expensive, but I listened to the 7008 integrated in a friend's system, and found it to be extremely musical. I haven't heard other MBL products, but I would put the 7008 ahead of the Gryphon Callisto 2100 which I always ranked as one of the best. The industry is filled with products that are way over priced, and many of them are highly reviewed with a loyal customer base, but for whatever reason, the MBL products seem to have few dealers, even fewer reviews, and absolutely no buzz.