Speakers that are a great value!


I’ve been researching off the shelf speaker drivers quit a bit lately and smaller speaker companies as well.  I’ve been finding that companies like Fritz, Salk and Tekton offer incredibly well priced products.  I’m finding that with certain models, there really only appears to be small profit margin.  I understand that when you buy large quantities of drivers, you can get a small discount but still.

For instance, I’m seeing speakers that sell for $2000 might have $700 worth of drivers in them.  When you add in $100-$200 worth of crossovers, $100-$200 in cabinets, $50 for miscellaneous components like binding posts, damping material, wiring, solder or connectors you come up to around $1200 worth of raw components. Now add in labor to construct the boxes, possibly put veneer on them, solder and put together crossovers, install drivers and then ship the speakers, the value is really quite good.  I haven’t even talked about obtaining the woodworking tools to do such a product, rent on a building, utilities on that building and the labor costs if you have any employees. 

My point to all this is to open a discussion and to help people understand that there may only be a $400 profit margin on a $2000 pair of speakers.  I think that these are an exceptional value at full asking price and that should be taken into consideration when thinking about buying speakers from these manufacturers.  
I sometimes hear that these speakers are overpriced and that the value is not good and I would tend to strongly disagree!  
128x128b_limo
Since you are on a budget (as are we all to some degree) I would suggest you narrow your speaker options down to high efficiency speakers, ie 95db or more.  The reason being that you can cut costs by buying a lower power or perhaps integrated tube amplifier, of which there are many fine products for low $$, and spend more of the speaker itself. 
The most important component to your high end sound system is the speaker so this is where you want to concentrate most of your cash outlay.
I agree with some of the other posters that the Maggies are a great value but you need brutal amounts of power to make them sing and lower efficiency speakers seem to require better and more expensive cabling.
That would be my approach.
OP, pardon my arrogance for suggesting only the huge companies have the resources to design proper speakers, its only my personal thoughts and I have no experience with the little guys.
With a background ( also ) in sales management, whatever we are talking, value, is based on what someone is willing to pay. We all have our preferences, as obvious from our posts, but, what I consider a value, someone else might not, and vice versa. This can be at any price point, on any item purchased. I, as an example, do not feel $5..is a value for a cup of coffee from, well, you know. I make just as good a cup of coffee at home. Enjoy !, and be well, all.