Things you did not know about what is inside your speakers and the Huge markups

@ghdprentice + 1 - that's also like a painter selling his paintings based on the cost of his or her brushes, canvas, and paints. A Picasso should be very affordable! 

@larsman 

Good one. I paint... although in my case the paint and brushes are worth far more than my painting.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jdflood/55355771040/in/album-72177720334374806

Imperfect speaker finishes, small areas of cabinet damage, drivers that don’t pass QC specs, warranty driver or crossover replacement / upgrades, dealer incentives, inventorying large quantities of parts....   Not to mention R&D time and expense manufacturing, employee wages and other expenses..

These are just a few reason why speaker RETAIL mark up is so great.  Unless buyers are going to big box stores to pick up their speakers, they a very likely getting discounts.  Those discounts need to be factored into a lower dealer price.  

I’ve heard from more than one manufacturer that if you want to make a small fortune in High End Audio, start with a large fortune.

Business is business.  I don’t know of any speaker manufacturer that made a lot of money from high end speakers.

The manufacturers who have their speakers shown in that video and have been associated with comments such as 90% being garbage may have a lawsuit to consider. IMO, the video is inflammatory and makes sweeping assertions that are well beyond the evidence provided. 

2 things. @ghdprentice    1.I like the lamp 2. Even better than a DIY speaker, is one bought from the maker who made himself another, and sells it to you for far less than even the parts, just to move it along. One of the best speakers I ever bought, an MTM set. I never really understood the whole high-priced thing, especially for new stuff. In cars or cameras or watches or other gear too.