I love small speakers because, though I wouldn't make any my primary system, it's just cool to listen to something that seems to defy the laws of physics. And their cute.
Would love to see some recommended small systems.
The audioengine A2s sound amazing, though are limited in output. Still, 6 of these with the S8 sub comes in at less than $1k and they're powered.
For towers, Aperions previous generation 4T caught my eye at a trade show, and I went to their listening room in Portland while on vacation to check them out. Of course they're 100x the size of the orbs, but half the size of most Tower Speakers. Once again, just cute.
The Boston Soundware Cubes are intreguing. I haven't heard them, and they're about 1.5 inches larger than the orbs, but they have a 2-way design and audioholics seemed to like them pretty well:
Boston Acoustics SoundWare Indoor/Outdoor Speaker Review — Reviews and News from Audioholics
I think the orbs definitely have their place in the lifestyle market, but I, like the previous poster, would love to see an updated design pushing the envelope on what we could expect from small audio.