Affordable vs. ultra expensive speakers - what's the difference?

idiotic 

a Ferrarri is a car 

so is a yugo

is aferrari a better car is it worth the difference?

 I am so impressed by the build quality/performance of some manufacturers out there. Once in a while, I build a project for myself or for sale. I have to make decisions about what I am aiming for, or the extent of performance that a product has by it's design to begin with.

 This all seems to be similar to racing cars. Say a fast car costs $50K. A Slightly faster car will cost $75K. Diminishing returns happen after that.

Take your $1500 speakers and swap the $25 tweeter with a $500 Be or AMT and suddenly you hear a major disconnect so then you gotta upgrade the midrange and xover to retain the coherence and on it goes until you’re listening to diamond drivers in a cast marble inclosure that for all their mass completely disappear when playing. Ducati or honda?

That depends upon you and where you are in your audiophile journey.  $50,000 speakers are an endpoint you build your system around think long term investment.

3k speakers could be an endpoint if you are satisfied with the sound but will be a limiting factor in the future if start improving the supporting equipment and will probably be replaced, maybe several times with the possibility of spending much more than the $50,000 depending on where you end up.

The difference is the importance of sound /  music to you now and in the future.

I still miss the robot references.

This is a very silly question. Listen to them and let your ears be the judge.