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What makes an expensive speaker expensive

When one plunks down $10,000 $50,000 and more for a speaker you’re paying for awesome sound, perhaps an elegant or outlandish style, some prestige ... but what makes the price what it is?

Are the materials in a $95,000 set of speakers really that expensive? Or are you paying a designer who has determined he can make more by selling a few at a really high price as compared to a lot at a low price?

And at what point do you stop using price as a gauge to the quality? Would you be surprised to see $30,000 speakers "outperform" $150,000 speakers?

Too much time on my hands today I guess.
128x128jimspov
ctsooner
2,104 posts
 
You should be biased or it's time for a new pair of speakers, lol.  Once you get to a certain price point, there is not diminishing return.  It become all about what someone is willing and can pay.  This is why the companies can do so much R&D and we are all rewarded with the trickle down tec (if you don't have the TOL from your manufacturer).  

Even if I don't personally love someone's components, I do love hearing folks push what they own are want to own.  That's part of what has always made this fun for me.  Nice post thanks
timlub
1,649 posts
 
Hi gdhal,
    The Golden Ear, specifically the Triton line are a perfect example of this entire conversation.... To be fair to The Alta Statements, they appear by my feeble eyes to be Morel and Raal.   The Morel Midrange and the Raal Tweeters alone cost more than most of the entire Titan One to manufacture... But, just as we discussed,  quality parts, in combination with a great design can produce a huge value in comparison. 
dragon_vibe
430 posts
 

TAD to me sounds more like a Studio Speaker. Yes they are brilliant but does it make music? or are you trying to find faults into the recordings?

When I heard tad being paired with MSB Dacs, first thing came to my mind was......this sounds very much like the Quested Studio Speakers Accurate and brutal to the source. How much of this can you stand? 20 mins 1 hour 2 hours. I love the TAD Horns they can be very musical with the right OTL AMPS.

meerzistar
232 posts
 
Solid 18K gold  http://www.cinenow.fr/articles/24710-shape-audios-solid-gold-speakers
ctsooner
2,104 posts
 
I think most would agree that you can get some great sound for under say 5k or 10k, but you can get better to much better sound if you can afford to. Bass....clean and true is what costs the most.  Once you start adding built in subs and carbon fiber or other exotic materials, plus the labor as well as the R&D, then the price goes up accordingly.  Many companies will just set a price point that is way more than the speaker is worth or costs to make just because they can. They will market the heck out of them until they get a cult following.  Then they just use that to market and grow their base.  Great business if you can get away with it and there are plenty of companies who do this.  I think the real test though are the ones who have been around for ages and ages and have a great rep for giving you more than you expect in whatever your price range is.  There are a handful out there still who continue to do this, even as they hand the keys over to their kids.  I personally love to support those companies be it speakers or electronics.  JMHO
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