Innova also makes a sitdown model and it is priced at $6K which includes the table without a stitch regulator. $7K with the stitch regulator. IMHO the innova is much more heavy duty better made machine than the HQ but that is only MHO.
My DSM is a bernina and I would be the first to sing its praises when it comes to DSM but when it comes to LA I agree with Prism, go with a manufacturer where Longarms are their only business and have been at it for a long while. If my heart was dead set on the Bernina, I would wait at least year or two to see what kind of bugs and kinks can be worked out and what the general public feedback is on the durability and performance of the machine, especially when it carries a price tag of a good $3K more than reputable, long established LA machines.