I agree with you completely. I too have bought a Mk 1, a Mk II and now a Mk IIa (after having the Mk 1 stolen).
As for Sb's purchase: They didn't buy the Empeg car player, they bought the Empeg company! Which means they got the most valuable part of the company, which is not the player, or even the code base: it's the people who created the product and the vision in the first place. As far as that goes, as long as the people behind the empeg car player are still in a position to be creative and lead the future, we all win.