Sonus Faber Cremona Auditors or Olympica I

All the responses have been helpful.  My understanding is that the Cremona M Auditors are easier to setup/less finicky about placement than the original Cremona Auditors.

Has anyone heard any of the Lawrence speakers?  You can find good deals on them from time to time.

I heard them at THE show. I can't remember which model but its a two way.
Looks like a cello.
They are one of the speakers I was impressed at the show.
The sound was very cohesive between the electrostatic tweeter and dynamic woofer. 
They were also positioned a few feet from the rear wall, so I don't know if they're as finicky as the auditors.
Compared to the auditor, I like the top end of the Lawrence better, and although the auditor has pretty good upper bass, I think the lawrence is a touch more solid in that bass area. But I believe the model I was listening to had an 8 inch woofer compared to the auditor's 6.
I know this is not much help since I can't remember the Lawrence model.
But I liked the sound.
I actually thought to myself that people should be swarming to listen to the Lawrence. Maybe  lack of brand recognition?

If it was the Cello it's quite a bit more $$$ than the Cremona @ $18k.  The Cello is a floor mount.  Maybe you saw the Violin which is stand-mounted.  That's not cheap either at $8500.

Whether they are value or not is another matter but I've heard they sound great.  I think you also have to factor in that if the company went belly-up the resale value would get crushed especially compared to SF that holds up pretty well in the secondary market.  Since I swap in and out of equipment frequently I think about things like that a lot more than I used to.

For me, having lived and worked in Italy some years ago, Sonus Faber has a certain romantic quality and hence, great appeal. Call me a bit of an Italophile (is that even a word?) but Italians sure know how to design and craft some gorgeous things. A side benefit is that SF speakers have excellent resale value, which is one of your concerns.

I owned a pair of highly-regarded floorstanding speakers for many years, and although they sounded pretty good or better, depending on the room, I could never get over how "homely" they looked. :) I finally sold them for a fraction of what I paid for them, even after I spent a lot to have them upgraded.  My next speakers were Sonus Faber Liutos.  A weight had been lifted.  :)

Almost embarrassed to admit that the look of a speaker is nearly as important as the sound to me, especially in my main set-up in a living room surrounded by art deco furniture.

I have a pair of Liutos in there now,  Very high WAF for floor-standers but she would prefer monitors.  I'm also getting to the age where we'll downsize our residence (we're now empty nesters) and monitors are just easier to find space for.