Nope. Monitor 9s are Paradigm's top of the line when you're not considering their Signature or Reference series. I think they were only about $700. I can't find any info on the Esprit line on Paradigm's website, but at the moment I'm not looking very hard. Also, the reviewer quotes them as $399, so I would guess they're near the bottom of Paradigm's line.
The M22s are far superior to the Monitor 9s. As for the bass, sure the 9s had more, but not enough in my opinion. The M22s, when combined with his SVS sub, blow the Monitor 9s out of the water.
