cost of speakers in relation to the rest of the system

Dave,

Some rare speakers have 6 drivers and some 114 components making up four crossovers - and all this driven by one amplifier on a single set of binding posts. If this worked so very well with no compromises with regard to energy or dynamics losses then we would definitely see a whole lot more of this type of heavily engineered speaker design - but there is a reason we don’t see a whole lot of designs like this and it ain’t because I am deaf.

shadorne,

Your posts at least imply you may have fallen prey to some dubious generalizations about speaker design.

If, for instance, you are implying that the Thiels have a complex driver/crossover system (they do) that would leave them sounding lacking in dynamics, you’d be wrong. The life-like dynamics of the Thiel 3.7 (and 2.7) speakers were regularly remarked upon by owners and reviewers, e.g.:

"The CS3.7 also has a sensational dynamic snap and life. While it’s great for music, this is as good a place as any to segue into home theater sound. The Thiels were every bit as extraordinary with movies. They played loud, and that’s a must for home theater playback no matter how sophisticated we are as listeners and humans. They also created tremendous contrast between the quietest and loudest sounds. Few speakers of any type are superior in this regard, and it’s crucial to movie playback. "

Read more at https://www.soundandvision.com/content/thiel-cs37-speaker-system-page-3#1eZ8GOoccE2JbtBf.99

Because the 3.7s are a bit bigger visually than I wish for my room, I’ve been auditioning many speaker brands (including Audio Note, Focal, Joseph Audio, Kudos (minimalist crossover design), and many others.

None have impressed me more than the Thiels, including in dynamics. In fact the slightly smaller Thiel 2.7s I also have have the most life-like energy I can remember hearing in a speaker...at least since the last horn speakers I heard. I just had them cranked very loud and listened close and from outside the room, playing jazz, latin and a bunch of electronic/funk music and they kicked butt, staying punchy and clean.

Get get the best sounding speakers that you can afford that best match your system sound signature. Stop worrying about price ratios. If it means that your speakers cost 500 or 50,000 it doesn't matter as long as they do best what you need them to and it is within your budget.. 

For those who love the low distortion, transparency, and natural timbre of Quads (and other good ESL's), but need more volume and/or bass, the Eminent Technology LFT-8b provides all that for $2499 retail. VPI owner/designer Harry Weisfeld endorsed!

The experience I've had, having owned many pairs of speakers (as I'm sure most here have), is that a well-engineered and great sounding loudspeaker can be obtained relatively affordably. Some examples are: Monitor Audio Silver, Wharfedale (certain models), Totem, B&W, Martin Logan (especially ESL), etc.

I've had my current speakers (Dynaudio Audience 82s) since 2004 and they've never disappointed me. At my system's best I had a Pass Labs X250.5 in front of my Dyn's, and I was stunned how well they played together.

That experience greatly impacted my perception of how much quality could be attained in speaker reproduction at $2500/pr, since the amp was 4x higher in cost than my speakers. Almost any audiophile I know would call that match-up a no-no; my experience, however, disagrees with the conventional wisdom. My Dyns truly got out of the way and let the openness, transparency, warmth, command, and finesse of the Pass amp come through effortlessly.

I guess my philosophy more than anything is system synergy, not price points, whether discussing speakers or anything else in the chain.

Current System:

Dynaudio Audience 82s
B&K Ref 50 and ST 125.2 amp
Cambridge Audio Dacmagic and Jolida FX Tube Dac
XBOX One for Blu-Ray
APC S10