What Texas Gurl from THE GREAT STATE OF TEXAS, said is exactly what my BFF from Texas told me about Pfaff's just a few days ago when I told her I 'may' have to buy a new machine if my Janome 9000 will end up costing too much to repair. She said that, even though Viking owns Pfaff, you can listen to them run and note the different sounds that they make (smooth running compared to a clunking sound).
A lot of the sewing machine companies are merging or buying each other out, yet maintaining the company name (most likely) because we sewers generally become faithful to certain companies/machines.
My BFF has the top of the line Viking from a few years back. She is very analytical, so she studies up and test drives machines before making a purchase. I think it was at the Houston Quilt Festival where she tried out a high-end Brother embroidery machine and really liked it, so she got it. That was several years ago. Just recently she bought a higher end Brother embroidery machine that walks, talks, and may even fold her clothes (just a joke). I'm not into embroidery, but I was blown away by its capabilities. So - I recommend checking them out. That's what I plan to do!