Sunnyjim, nobody is debating paying retail - I'm quite certain that's a debate you'll rarely encounter here. I like paying closer to wholesale, I'm sure most people do. We all like discounts, we all like finding bargains.
At issue here is what seems to your belief that manufacturers should only be entitled to some pre-determined profit margin, directly tied to proportional increases in input costs - as you alluded to with your "reasonable increase of 25-30%" comment, and wanting to know manufacturer costs before making a purchase (which ironically is sort of Marxian, don't you think?).
Where we do agree is in your pointing out that we are talking about electronically sophisticated products, not disposable items like combs and light bulbs. Manufacturers must maintain excess component inventory so that they can service these products after the sale, so that when a moving company drops your speakers you can get immediate replacements. The larger the customer base, the larger the required service inventory. I'm not suggesting that this is the reason for higher margins, only that there are many factors that may account for any company's price structure increasing.
But like everyone says, we all vote with our wallets. That's the beauty of a free market economy, when we actually allow it to work (which is as rare as unicorns these days).
