When a budget speaker is preferred to a high end one...

I see speakers costing 10000s using cheaper drivers than ones costing 1/2 as much. With audio price doesn't necessarily equal performance. 

Years ago, I heard and fell in love with Martin Logan Monolith IIIx, active xover, two amps, lots of wire, cost a fortune, amazing speakers... bought them, and within a year, replaced them with Vandersteen 3As. Much better.
The problem was my room.
(Sold the Monoliths to a buyer in Japan and actually made money, so it's all good.)
I think it comes down to your order of preference: less expensive speaker can do some things spectacularly well (I love the Revel M106) and if that's what floats your boat, might as well stop there. But some, not all, more expensive speakers do many things well, and... can float more boats? Float bigger boats? I'm lost...

Good luck!

I heard the Radialstrahler System Xtreme in a good demo once... breathtaking. Truly breathtaking. $250,000 was a little high for me at the time (ya think?). But I heard the incredible sonics and could see the engineering and expense. Well done, MBL. Clearly they represent value for (an incredible amount of) money. 

Chacon a son gout! And happy listening.

@bobpyle 

 "There is no difference between high end and budget speakers. Only the price."

Please can you explain your rationale for this statement?

Thank you,

BP

How about I turn the tables and ask you to show me evidence that there is any difference?

@akg_ca 

The key word in the OP is “preferred”, and no assertion of “best”.This is a fine but important distinction.

What is the distinction?

@kenjit wrote: How about I turn the tables and ask you to show me evidence that there is any difference?

Unfortunately, that does not answer my question. Thus, I anticipate that you wrote "There is no difference between high end and budget speakers. Only the price." without any experience or knowledge on the subject and, I have wasted my time responding to you, which I shall not continue to do.

Goodbye,

BP