What most folks don't realize is that the mark up on high end speakers will range from 50% for a Wilson to only 33% for some other top brands. Folks don't always realize how much money some of these folks have to pay for their components since they aren't buying huge numbers at a time. Some of the caps alone can cost these guys over$100 each (or more). That adds a lot of money to a speaker when you figure they need at least one or more per speaker and they will use the business model of marking it up 100%. That alone has just added $400 to the cost of a speaker. That's why you often see 'special' 'signature' additions costing so much. When I found out what Vandersteen is putting into his crossovers, I then realized who much we don't see in a speaker. In a really good speaker there are so many 'hidden' costs that we don't see and that's in addition to the overhead a company has to go along with the R&D we've all been talking about.
Yes, these folks can make a nice living, but only if they are smart business people who give you more than you expect for the money as each of their price points. Very few companies have been able to pull that off. That's why you only have a handful of companies who have been around since the 80's or earlier who are still around and most of those don't even have the same owner and have changed their sound so greatly that their loyal customers don't even like the new offerings.
Yes, these folks can make a nice living, but only if they are smart business people who give you more than you expect for the money as each of their price points. Very few companies have been able to pull that off. That's why you only have a handful of companies who have been around since the 80's or earlier who are still around and most of those don't even have the same owner and have changed their sound so greatly that their loyal customers don't even like the new offerings.