What makes an expensive speaker expensive

I have been searching and researching speakers for the last few months to replace my Paradigm 5Se's, which I've had for something like 25 years.

I probably don't watch my dollars as closely as I should, and when I was looking at some Triton's in the $2,000 (CDN) range, it didn't take long for the salesman to start talking "deal".

Price is important, but I like to think of price as a flexible range and understand what my options are within that range.

I also find that "marketing" encompasses many different things. Sure there's the hyperbole but the information presented can sometimes be helpful. What I find most frustrating are speaker companies that have so many different products, all priced very close together, and provide no clear idea of how they differ except for their price point.

I think the quality-price issue also arises at entry level. For example,  consider the Vandersteen Classics (specifically 1ci) and Totem Arros. They're about the same price and both are well regarded in the forums. The Vandersteen's have survived longer, so they can be said to have stood the test of time.

Yet the Vandersteen's don't have expensive parts as far as I can tell. The Arros do - the interlocking cabinet, the veneer both inside and out, the crossover and the borosilicate  damping.

On the other hand, the Vandersteen's don't need most of the expensive materials because they've done away with the cabinet. (Hard not to be impressed with the application of  Occam's Razor).

Vandersteen's claim to fame is their first order crossover providing time and phase accuracy. Yet the Totem Arro's also claim to be phase coherent (which I thought wasn't possible with a 2nd order crossover?).

How is the price similarity explained? I guess because the sound quality is on an equal plane

Thanks ctsooner that is interesting & helpful.

To vander off topic (get it, vander instead of wander ), while I admire and appreciate the thoughtfulness put into the Vandersteen 1ci's and other vandersteen models, the sweet spot is too small (something like a square foot). You move a little bit, or there is more than one person listening, or there is a slight mis-measurement and the benefits are lost.

Hi ctsooner, actually I bought a pair of Vandersteen 1ci's about a month ago. I bought demos (with full warranty) and believe I received very good value.

I'm still getting to know them and am second guessing myself.