The new dynamic in speaker pricing

It is called a halo effect in Marketing speak. It elevates the brand. They don't expect to sell many (if any of them) but will tell you that the technology trickles down to their lower priced models (which it probably does in most cases).

If someone is playing with monopoly money, it doesn't matter what it costs. Some people want something just because it is rare or hard to get. That's their primary motivation.

I was never into the collector aspect of things. If I don't use it, I sell it. Mostly with records, but other things as well. 

Grand Karma Enigma $1,000,000.00 USD

Moon Audio Opulence $1,100,000.00 USD

Transmission Audio Ultimate $2,000,000.00 USD

Cessaro Horn Acoustics Omega 1 $1,000,000.00 USD

Kipnis’ Outer Limits Theater $6,000,000.00 USD

Kharma Enigma Veyron 1D $1,500,000.00

...and last but by no means least:

Hart Audio D&W Aural Pleasure +/- $5,000,000.00 USD: features a 10 or 12" coaxial Tannoy driver, an equally obtainable and rather generic, not to mention inexpensive dome supertweeter which brand I do not recall at the moment, in a hand cast 18K gold enclosure. The gold surely has increased in value since the product was produced, but as a speaker system it seems it would be rather average considering the absurd price.

@deludedaudiophile considering some of these companies are more known for being "lifestyle" companies than for the products they produce, what you say is likely true to a point. 

Holy Grail, End Game, such descriptions are used frequently to describe ultra high end audio gear. Those who are familiar with jays’ audio lab get a steady diet of his latest and greatest. I enjoy jay’s channel, but only for entertainment. The Absoute Sound is routinely criticized by its readers for focusing too much on the ultra high end, but hey, that’s their prerogative, and if you don’t agree, don’t subscribe. Like some have already said, it’s a lot of fun to put together a cost effective system that has the right synergy to egage you with the music. For me, that’s what it’s all about. Big systems do have a big sound which can be quite engaging, I have to admit it, but I have not been moved enough to continue up that path. Back in the day when this hobby was more grassroots, speakers like the Spica TC50 and amplifiers like the Berning EA230 could be combined for a really satisfying sound. I had a pair of Dahlquist DQ10’s and a Luxman L100 integrated amp, and to this day I still think that was a superb sounding combination. The point is, you DON’T necessarily have to spend tens of thousands of dollars to have a good sounding system. You just need to do your homework and trust YOUR ears.

Honestly, we should be really happy there are people out there that will buy top of the line million dollar speakers, cause the trickle down effect on technology will give us better speakers.