What makes an expensive speaker expensive

There are exceptions to the rule. I'm just saying that in general, this is how they seem to line up, the blanket reason being business, marketing and making money. Not that I'm against any of that. I'm against low value, juiced speakers being touted as the best we can have.

As I wrote, making your own drivers is often a way to reduce the costs, and going way past the 30:1 mark.

The real loss in my mind is that the industry tries to promote the idea that only the richest can have good sounding music. This puts a huge barrier to music and culture for most consumers.  The more of the middle class can afford great sounding speakers, the better off our society will be. :) 

I've seen this effect in person. Introduce a person with little musical education to great sounding speaker system and bam, they are suddenly interested in a lot more types of music than they were before.  The entry level for this should not be $20,000.

Best,

Erik

Tom, sorry forgot to answer.  
1) Wilson margin allows a much better price than Vandersteen could.

2) MF has in many reviews including the Quatro Fabric review mentioned not needing a speaker that images in fact said the Quatro out imaged his Wilsons.

3)Has said he believes a speaker can have TMI so the paper cones being low resolution is not a deal breaker.

4)Speakers with powered sub-woofer are not the best tool for a reviewer especially when reviewing amplifiers.

5) listens very loud and likes a big sound for his love rock and roll.

Hope this answers your questions about why he used Wilson's.  I also know of MANY within the industry from reviewers to other manufacturer's who swear by Vandersteens (Quatro's on up) and pay for them without getting a large discount.  Plenty of people listen and enjoy a huge sound and don't care about things that  time aligned speaker can provide.  If you love Wilson's, then that's awesome.  Plenty of folks love Bose too (not not saying Wilson's sound like Bose).  We are so lucky to have the choices that we have now days.  

I'm not saying they don't make good speakers.  They just aren't my cup of tea and never have been.  That's all.  I've had the discussion with someone from Wilson on two occasions and they laughed.  One agreed with me as to what I don't like.  They have done the best job of the old time speaker companies in advertising.  That's a real positive and I'm giving them a ton of credit for it.  I wish Richard and others had done the same thing as I feel that this industry could have grown bigger than it has.  I see that Alon is doing a great job advertising also. I think that these post fit into this thread because it shows where some of your money goes into their overhead.  My second favorite speaker/system that I've heard (I LOVE Vandersteens new AMP.  that thing makes the 7's a powered speaker, but not internally.  When you can build the amp around a specific speaker you can really make it sound better than other amps I feel.)  are both made by Tidal.  I have heard their system twice in my life and was really impressed.  Again, it was also with their own amplification along with analog and the Aurender W20 server.  Perfectly set up room too. What a treat that was.  That's even using their black diamond tweeter that isn't quite pistonic, in movement, but they've done a great job voicing them I feel (again, for MY ears).  

I've also never and would never call the buyer of a component stupid....at least not in person or online, lol.  j/k.  I'm just glad we are all passionate for what we like and are willing to post about it and argue about it.  Healthy, all of it IMHO.  I try to be respectful to all and sometimes I'm not in the way I post, but I don't mean ill will towards folks.  

When I make a post about paper woofers breaking up at 250HZ, it's proven and it has to effect the quality of the sound.  That's just physics and no way around it.  That said, some companies who use paper cones can try to do other things to lessen the effect, but to me it's very noticeable.  that does mean I can't listen to hard rock and not enjoy it.  Mikey Fremer had a great ear and loves him some hard pounding LOUD rock.  Nothing wrong there at all and it's a big reason he loves his Wilson's.  Again, that's awesome for him and others.  I'm just happy that we all have wonderful choices that make us all happy.  Wilson's are beautiful to look at and I can listen to rock on them, but I'd never be able to live with them.  Plenty of you guys have them and are happy.  All is positive.