If your friends are reasonably local then go sit and listen to their systems. That should tell you everything you need to know.
Otherwise, here's my two cents. With the standard disclaimer that everybody's ears are different ...
The Pi speakers are exceptional in several ways.
They are very good at getting the percussive nature of music right. It's not just that the drum strike will sound right but the guitar and bass will sound dynamic, too. There are too many audiophile speakers out there, in my opinion, that just can't reproduce percussion with any sort of realism and it leads to a very lifeless presentation. The percussive nature of the Pi's is one of my favorite things about them.
The models with the waveguides produce a very uniform presentation throughout their coverage. Sit on a couch in the sweet spot or on either side of the sweet spot and you'll pretty much get the same presentation. Everyone gets the best seat in the house because of their uniform coverage. It's actually a bit odd because when you finally get into the center position you are expecting a change ... and there isn't one.
They are very sensitive so they don't need amplifiers with massive power. They tend to be easy to drive with tube amps, too, as they have easy impedance curves. There are quite a few really good sounding low powered amplifiers out there that will pair well with the Pi's.
They'll also get loud. It's not something I do but if you really want uncompressed and loud then the Pi's will do it. Feed them enough watts and they just keep getting louder and louder.
So there's a few of the things that make the Pi's unique. Their percussive/dynamic quality really makes them stand out for me but other folks have different priorities so they may prefer other speakers. If you know what's important to you in a speaker it'll make the decision a lot easier.
Wayne brings a pair to The Lone Star Audio Fest every year so if you have a reason to visit Dallas it's worth stopping by for a listen. The Pi room is always one of the better sounding rooms and Wayne's speakers cost a fraction of what some of the other good sounding speakers cost at the show. It's also a really good show.
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