Mapman, well, let's have your list. When you say, "...compete with new stuff citing many times more somewhat surprisingly," let's hear the names and models of speakers these nearly free speakers compete well against. To what have you compared them directly to draw that conclusion?
I own a pair of somewhat newer Boston Acoustics bookshelf speakers with the same construction and 6" bass and 3/4" tweeter. I got them for $10 at a garage sale, and I use them in my� garage system.
I compared them directly (blind comparison, even) when I wrote the Audio by Van Alstine ABX Comparator article and pitted them against the Insignia 6" coaxial two-way speakers which were initially $50/pr. So, I had both of these in my main rig for that purpose. I also have a pair of older Paradigm Micro speakers, which has more refined sound quality than these others. What speakers you have in mind that are "many times more" that the A40 beats?
I can think of a situation in which some tiny bookshelf speakers with 3" bass drivers might sound "worse" to some ears than the A40, simply because the A40 would go deeper in the bass.