Is it possible for a high end manufacturer to overprice their goods?

@skinzy You can buy the Polk « R » series (Polk R200) on the Walmart website. But it’s from a third party vendor. That speaker is seriously good. And I know you’re joking but I’m pretty serious. 
 

In hindsight I am going against the Audiogon lifestyle of taking the HiFi hobby to the next level. Whatever that means. But it certainly doesn’t imply buying reasonably priced and unexpectedly good mass-produced entry level speakers. I suppose that you guys value exotic components, craftsmanship and brand heritage more than others. 
 

I suppose that I am providing a baseline for all speaker evaluations. If a high end setup doesn’t outshine a humble Polk R200 powered by a humble Denon amp then it may as well be overpriced junk and you should feel bad about yourself LOL. 
 

This leads to another thought: high end stuff seems to be reviewed in isolation and compared to other high end stuff. It is implied that the high end is far superior than the entry-level. But once in a blue moon you can become annoyed by the unexpected performance of modern entry-level gear if you own high end stuff. It’s all relative of course. And craftsmanship plays a huge part in the price, less so in the performance. 
 

Last point: I envy the people who just spend less than two thousand on a Hi-Fi setup and are completely happy. Just look at the people on the internet who spend tens of thousands on Hi-Fi and are never happy. The simplicity of spending $1.5k on a full system at Walmart is alluring. 

@kokakolia While my thread was asking about the very top end pricing in audio, I am interested in your points about the area below high end...commonly called mid-fi, or even mass produced low end gear. I think today, unlike in years past, there are some quite good low priced components that do give one a ’taste’ of what high end can accomplish, ( which is what i think you are pointing out). However, while this is encouraging for folk who cannot budget for what is now becoming very serious $$ for a lot of this gear, the reality of the situation is...and I hate to say this, that one typically does get what one pays for in this hobby in SQ ( in most instances). IF..again IF, you have a chance to listen to what some of this gear can sound like, particularly when set up properly in a proper dedicated acoustic space, I feel certain that you will hear what it is that the top high end companies provide from a SQ perspective. Now my question of whether the $$ asked can be raised to such a point that even the most well-heeled audiophile says...sorry, too expensive and I pass regardless of the ability, still applies.

@daveyf Yes, I went off tangent. You are right.

I’ll conclude that the very high end is bogus. The prices are astronomical to inflate the perceived value. You can cite extreme examples with 1 million dollar speakers. Maybe you should define high end in terms of performance. I believe that you can achieve that for tens of thousands of dollars if you’re smart. The very best Yamaha system is « only » $50k. You get all of the electronics (amp, preamp, cd player, turntable, full range speakers). Perhaps I am moving goal posts. I trust Yamaha more than a small boutique manufacturer selling $300k speakers and might go out of business soon. 
 

So yeah, a step below the very high end could be the sweet spot. Going entry level was never your intention. 

@asvjerry 

Anyone who could remember the 'sound, the qualities' of even most of the various speakers and/or the equipment would be considered to be a savant of sorts....

I guess not, but at the least you should be aware of the strengths of various loudspeakers etc.

In that particular example Howard Popeck was familiar with both the Harbeths and the JBLs. I probably wouldn't pick the JBL L100 if I listened to mainly classical, they're good but there's probably better out there.

However for rock they're amongst the best speakers I've ever heard. It's hard to describe just why but they do have amazing transients and dynamics plus clean mids. They also have good bass but it's not the kind that's artificially boosted and then suddenly falls off a cliff.

Every dealer and reviewer should be familiar with a speaker like that just in case a listener strongly favours one particular genre over others.

As for modern equivalents, I've never heard any of the Zu speakers but I'd expect them to be also extremely good with rock. Maybe PMC too as both Sean Casey and Peter Thomas look as if they might enjoy some hard rock now and then.

@kokakolia 

That stuff is either overpriced, overhyped, over-engineered with exotic hard-to-find parts, or all of the above. Everyone is trying to re-invent the wheel in the high-end market. Because the wheel is too basic, convenient and affordable. You're swimming with the sharks in a high-end market. The sharks are the salesmen. Furthermore, high-end equipment can be experimental and unreliable at times. 

Good argument, one that applies across the board.

I remember seeing one of the earliest large screen LCD TVs at a show in London when they were first coming out.

This one had a mediocre picture at best and cost £29,000!

We were told that Buckingham Palace had ordered one.

Who'd have thought the Queen would be at the cutting edge when it came to TVs?

Or perhaps it was the Queen mum, she was said to have enjoyed her horse racing on TV.

There's almost always a risk attached to cutting edge technology as well as a hefty premium to pay.

?! Is the Pope catholic? Most current hi fi equipment is overpriced!