New speakers or new car?


ever notice it’s easier to spend $50,000 on speakers than $50,000 on a new car? Why is that. Is it because my living room is not big enough for a car?

Seriously, I need a new car. So maybe I need to come to terms with that and somehow find a way for it to be easier to spend a lot of money on a new car. Maybe it’s because a speaker doesn’t come with annual recurring costs like insurance and all the gasoline or electricity you gotta put into it.

Or maybe I just do both.

emergingsoul

I’ve never even contemplated paying $50,000 for speakers and only briefly thought about that much for a car but came to my senses. Vehicles provide more than just transportation and you can listen to music while operating them. You can only listen to speakers where they sit.

@jasonbourne71 Nah,  low volume speaker sales have to be expensive. Same with low volume cars  

Most of this from web queries  

Take Magico.  Their production is highly specialized, involving in-house CNC machining of aluminum enclosures, which limits output to a relatively small number of units, focusing on precision over high-volume manufacturing. The company is located in California. Like all speaker companies they have a robust advertising budget. Transportation of product is expensive. And so on, with the usual list. Now take Klipsch. Klipsch sells from low to upper medium priced speakers and they sell tons more than Magico. 

High-end speakers typically carry a retail gross profit margin of 40-50%, which is significantly higher than the 1%–2% net margin seen in the car industry. While the manufacturer might only spend 10% to 15% of the final retail price on physical components like drivers and cabinets, high margins are necessary to sustain a low-volume business with extreme research and development (R&D) and overhead 

Porsche Cars North America achieved a new all-time U.S. sales record in 2025 with 76,219 vehicles sold, a slight increase (0.07%) over the previous 2024 record. The Macan was the best-selling model (27,139 units), followed by the Cayenne (20,314) and the 911 (13,574)

Ford Motor Company sold 2,204,124 vehicles in the U.S. in 2025, marking a 6% increase over 2024 and the company's highest annual sales year.
 

 Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) achieved record U.S. sales in 2025, with total sales reaching 2,518,071 vehicles, an 8% increase over 2024. Electrified vehicles (hybrids, plug-ins, EVs) drove this growth, comprising 47% of total volume with 1,183,248 units sold. The Toyota division alone sold 2,147,811 vehicles, while Lexus posted 370,260

Some things people just want  It is estimated that it costs Rolex roughly $500 to $1,250 in materials and labor to manufacture a stainless steel watch, though this can rise to several thousand for precious metals. Marketing, distribution, and research overhead likely add hundreds more per watch, bringing the total cost closer to $1,000–$2,000+ before reaching retailer markup  

 

 

 

 

I'm the opposite, I bought a used car for around $40k including the 5 yr warranty because it is a tech filled BMW 650i convertible. Flew down to Tampa, FL after the 2024 Hurricane, spent a week coming back along the ocean just after peak season.

I would never spend that much, or near that much on speakers. I'm so lucky my Uncle spent darn good money in 1958. He was a bachelor with a Trust Fund.

@ripcitydave 

 

Top Appreciating Vintage Speakers

  • JBL L100 Century (1970s): Highly sought after, with clean or restored pairs often valued at over 

    $4,500.

  • Klipschorn (1946–Present): A, long-produced, corner-horn speaker often valued over $12,000
  •  for vintage pairs, according to iGuide.net.
  • Altec Lansing Voice of the Theatre:Originally for movie theaters, these 1950s-70s speakers are now premium home audio items valued at over 

    $8,000.

  • Tannoy Monitor Gold (1960s): Highly regarded British speakers often selling for upwards of 

    $3,000.

  • BBC LS3/5A: Small, iconic monitors that are highly collectible and valued for their, as stated on Headphonesty, sound quality.

  • Pioneer HPM-100: Created to compete with JBL, these 1970s speakers are in high demand and have appreciated significantly, similar to the JBLs.
  • Yamaha NS-1000M: Known for their beryllium drivers, these hold high value.