CMass has a marketing strategy to sell to celebrities and sports stars. There prices reflect this. They do not really cater or sell to the general masses. However, when a celeb buys a CMass system for $250k or up that includes the custom install. Severl high end shops receive this work and build these cars. Sometimes they have leftovers and these will go up for sale at a fraction of the MSRP and can be afforded by regular folk.
I am an old school guy and remmeber when they emerged and won all the IASCA awards. So, when I had the chance to buy a set of speakers at a reasonble price comparable to Hertz, HAT, Dynaudio, Focal and other high end speaker makers, I took the plunge. I was amazed by the sound quality and since worked harder to buy more speakers and products. Other than the Fosgate OEM integration device, my sound system is all CMass. All the items you find in my signature were purchased for about $4k. The MSRP on these products about $48k. So, while there is a sticker shock, it is important to remember they do not market their products to the masses. But the quality is like no other brand I have tried. The customer support is also outstanding. The price I paid for these products is actually a little less than I would have paid for a comparable high end sound system from Zapco, Dynaudio, Focal, Audio Control and other high end competitors.
The biggest trouble I found with CMass is that they have an awful website and poor product advertising and spec sheets. So, anytime I try to look up specs for a speaker or amp, often there is nothing available. Which means you have to call the CMass Authorized Installers or CMass directly. This is a PITA. They also have a lot of products available that have no literature at all and they dont even have model numbers as some are manufactured for special vehichle builds. The 8" sub I have is amazing and has only been installed in 10 vehicles. This stuff truly is special, and if you have a chance to buy it at a price less than other high end products, then in my opinion it is a no brainer. You just have to work harder to make it happen.