Most overrated audio manufacturers?

The "crazy profit margins" are still very much relative within the audio industry. Some companies continue to offer top-drawer products and services at realistic prices and some are preoccupied with the stratosphere. And you could lay as much blame at the feet of those enthusiasts who want to be elitists, buy into the whole "excess" thing and pretty much brag about how much money they've spent as much as you could blame the companies who have found a way to cater to them. But, this is still the land of the free and that's really ok to me in that as long as there are those companies indulging in excess (in terms of both image AND profits), then I'm betting that will continue to create plenty of room for the companies that can competently cater to the rest of us...for just as long as we ourselves continue to buy.

12-21-14: Mitch2
"Unbelievable profit margins" does not make me think of the audio industry.

It does exist in cable-land though, if you count that as part of the audio industry.

I'm not against people making money, but what I dislike are crazy claims, high prices and no engineering justification for it.
I'm reminded of the ML HQD as a prime example of this. A $28000 speaker system in 1984 that measured poorly and sounded even worse according to Stereophile. However the designer made big claims and apparently tried to mislead the reviewer and was caught. Unfortunately this type of stuff goes on in the age where it is even easier to verify things.
Some equipment clearly justifies it cost from an engineering standpoint, exotic materials, superb manufacturing, etc. Of course all that money being spent doesn't necessarily mean you have a better product, it just meant you bought a more expensive product.
I could sell you a Camry for $25000 or I could put another label on it, coat it in gold, sell it for $100k and say it is a better car, but is it?

"I could sell you a Camry for $25000 or I could put another label on it, coat it in gold, sell it for $100k and say it is a better car, but is it?"

I hate to say it, but this is irrelevant. What defines "better"? If someone is willing to pay the price - then it's worth it to that person. Period.

Does a Patek Philip tell better time than a Casio? Is it a "better" watch? I'm willing to bet that 99.99999% of all people on the planet will say no, especially when you tell them what they sell for.

I have no problem with people selling their products for whatever they can get out of it. Lying and misleading people is a different thing altogether - but if you listen to the HDQ (in your example) and still plunked down the $28k - then how can you possibly complain about it's performance?

Tie
Bose in the low-mid market and Magico at the high end.