The survival of the fittest.

My wife certainly wouldn't allow a pair of Tekton's to be displayed in our living room nor would I.  Pretty ugly in my opinion.  I can't believe how ugly some of the systems I see pictured on Audiogon are.  They must have some very forgiving wives or they might be single or they might be in a finished basement.  However, I am sure they sound great.  For me they also have to look great and fit into our living room and not destroy the look of our home.  We spend a lot on furniture and we are proud of the way our home looks.

Hi, mahg...*S*  ...at least, somebody here will understand me....;)

Timing, Yes.  Right Place, Right Time, Right 'Thing'.

'ell....Pet Rock....Mood Rings.....wierd things you didn't know could sell.

Now, add esoteric audio items and add decimal places and say 'Newer than New!'

It has this 'hilarity function'.....

bigkidz

When we started, I was politely introduced to marketing - the reviews are not free. It is very political also.

You were introduced to the wrong people. Legitimate audio magazines and websites don't charge for a review other than requiring the temporary loan of a product sample. Politics are everywhere in life, so it doesn't make much sense to single the audio world out for that.

Many of the products today are distributed by brick & mortar dealers. Many brands have protected territories like Vandersteen, B&W, etc.

As well it should be, imo.

It is not easy to get your product to the market

That has always been true.

The original OP is narrowed to high-end speakers, but the answer applies to business in general.

1) Businesses require time, resources, effort to run in a non-fixed market conditions (changes over time).  What sold well this year may not be the same as the next
2) High-end audio is a small niche market heavily influenced by advances in technology/performance.  3) if a manufacturer came out with a new product consumers expect it to be an improvement over the previous model all else being equal (similar prices) or better if it cost more.  Notable exceptions are speakers “within their price point” remain competitive even with minimum/no further innovations (efficient Klipsch Heresy/Cornwall/Klipschhorns, Ohm Walsh).  Speaker designers often keep bringing new/improved versions into the market to stay relevant (Elac, Magico, etc)
4) initially speaker design/manufacturing is a labor of love- few/nobody gets rich.  5) Speaker designers/manufacturers have different ability and/or interest in growing a business which in any business is no easy cakewalk.  6) if the speaker designer/manufacturer doesn’t pass along his knowledge before he exits the market the company will disappear 
7) if the speaker designer/manufacturer is successful in passing along his knowledge & delegate his responsibilities & people running the company is competent & has the resources to keep running the company & that there is a continued demand for his products & people in the company successfully meet the market innovation demands & the market demands his products (profitable enough), then the company has a chance to continue beyond the founding speaker designer/manufacturer

@ mahgister
Sansui? They folded many moons ago!