Perhaps I should elaborate. I do not question the fact that the best products must inherently cost more to build an therefor to buy (and most likely are better in every respect), but rather that many may be stuck on price almost solely in some situations, to the point where brand name means more than sound; or as another specific illustration, a person who buys Krell or Levinson would NEVER consider even listening to names like Polk or Definitive (they just KNOW they don't match up? - What is it, omniscience?). Now, notice I did not say I sold my Aerials in favor of the Polks! There was certainly a noticeable difference between the two. But I think that manufacturers know what the public is willing to pay for certain items, and then within certain market niches, and of course captilalize on it. As another example, look at B&W speakers. I bet that the nautilus technology in the 801's cost much more to develop than that of the new Krell LAT designs, but cost 1/3 of the amount. Why? Because B&W knows that their countrymen are much more sane than Americans. Americans will spend 30k for Krell speakers, and so Krell is smart for exploiting it. But B&W has spent numerous man hours developing their technology but sell it for much less. My point is that many of us consumers, especially in America, are impressed by factors other than just sound.
