Yeah, they do look pretty cool, although a bit odd, I think. They sit kind of slanted on your desk, and the 8 will take up a good chunk of space, so that's really the only drawback there. And I guess they're designed so cables can run underneath them, which I guess is practical.
There is one other inexpensive option I can think of for a firewire soundcard - The Alesis IO26.
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Alesis-iO26-Portable-26-Input-FireWire-Audio-Interface?sku=246031
It used to be $400+ (still is some places) but in the Musicians Friend catalog there's a huge price drop (as you can see in the link). I believe this guy is discontinued though, so if you decide you want it, I'd grab it in a hurry.
I'll admit, I don't know a whole lot about it (haven't taken the time to read) but hey, it's a firewire interface by a reasonably reputable brand, and it's super cheap right now. The only quirk I can tell you that I DO know about it is that if I recall correctly, the knobs are endless rotary, which I do not prefer (don't really see why anyone would, when it comes to controlling levels).
But hey, it got good reviews on zzounds http://www.zzounds.com/productreview--ALEIO26
Whoops, also, I totally overlooked that you mentioned MOTU. Another general rule of thumb is that MOTU = good. I've only had good experiences with their hardware. I'm pretty sure JJT has a MOTU interface, he could probably tell you more.