Preference for speakers that are half the price. Has this ever happened to you?

Lol 40 years ago l spent the afternoon auditioning speakers at a hi end shop. One at a time the owner brought out various brands and models and after a few hours l had a splitting headache and decided to call it a day. I really didn’t like any of them. On the way out by the door l noticed a couple of JPW Sonata bookshelves and asked him to set them up. It took me literally a minute to say “I’ll take ‘em”. They sounded natural with good detail and I knew they would work for me. And when I got the price which was significantly less expensive than anything else I had heard, it was a no brainer. 

l ended up enjoying them for the next 35 years. Get what you like and don’t worry about it!

In this industry, price barely matters one you get north of $1,500. After that, it's pretty much subjective preference. The fact that you think more expensive speakers should sound better is exactly why this hobby is dying. Buy what you like, not what marketing snake oil primes you to like. 

I've heard speakers that cost 4 times what mine cost and I prefer mine.  I haven't heard them in my system, but they were driven by nice electronics.  The owner loves his speakers and that's what matters. 

Until you get it in your room and in your system you really never know.  

Some companies base their whole shtick on this type of value proposition.  I really enjoy my tekton monitors and double impacts, and I found I enjoyed them more than speakers that cost 20k.  This isn't to say that everyone will enjoy the tektons more.  But it definitely seems to tell me price isn't everything.  Some manufacturers spend a ton on cabinet aesthetics.  That can cost half or more of the cost to build the speaker!!  Not saying you can't have both but those pretty museum pieces may not outperform a speaker that costs way less.

And yes, system synergy, room size, and personal preference all play a large part in this.  There are so many attributes to a speakers design and how it will sound in your room to your ears.  Once you find the pair of speakers that sing to your soul, stop the audiophilia obsession of always wanting more.  Cable changes and front end changes are fun once you have the speakers you like.  What a journey to be on and I am grateful to be able to have these conversations!