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

Precision costs more money, but does not always guarantee better performance. Exotic materials cost more money, but do not guarantee better performance. There are also costs associated with R&D that are defrayed over the total expected run of a product. A lot of high dollar items sell fewer units, but have a lot more R&D costs. The scrap costs may also be higher because the finish standards are more stringent and the materials scrapped cast more. Not everything that makes that product more expensive may be important to you, but you’ll still have to pay for it as part of the package. You can arrive at any conclusion of relative worth simply by weighting the selection criteria a certain way. As a value proposition the more expensive item is rarely preferable. This falls in with diminishing returns. However, sometimes the performance aspired to is not a logistical problem that can be optimized economically, but a conceptual problem instead. “Can this be done?” rather than “What’s the most efficient method to reach a specific result?” Most of our systems are well within the realm of logistics and compromises or trade offs based on economics. But those systems unconstrained by conventional limitations are fascinating to read about.  

Whats affordable for you may be cheapy stuff for someone who earns allot more. whats affordable for that guy maybe too expensive for you.

Regards, I would still say focus on a Good Room first as this will make allot of the diffrence.

Affordable (anything) vs Ultra expensive (anything)

Whats the difference?

Competing at the Olympics vs Winning a Gold Medal.

Whats the difference?

Acceptable vs Excellence 

Whats the difference?

The difference is everything, and the only thing.

I understand the diminishing return of higher cost speakers.  In term of driver technology, both speakers seem to be in equal.  The monitor metal dome technology does not seem to be inferior vs. the yg speakers.  They are not of garden variety but the product of extensive computer simulation.  In term of cabinet, the YG cabinet is made of aluminum so it has some advantage.  In term of xover component, the YG probably has better, higher  price components.

Overall, I think the only thing that justifies the price of the YG is the aluminum cabinetry.  But that alone does not seem to justify the 50K asking price though.

Having owned $2,500, $5K, $12K, and $34K speakers I assure you performance jumps are the primary reason to purchase ever increasingly expensive speakers. While cabinetry costs increase they most get priced for perform. The diminishing returns argument doesn’t really work until you get way up in expense because audio systems are like instruments, they get more sensitive as they get better and as such get more compelling to listen to.