The survival of the fittest.

Yes and it says in the review that Tekton had been around 4.5 years before the review. So call it 16 years. But the OP will change the rules again. That's not "survival of the fittest" see because in that time they didn't survive they grew. Or something like that. Never can tell with these Rorschach type threads.

So Kenjit who is full of s—t, you say don’t buy high-end speakers. Does this mean you don’t like high-end speakers or you just can’t afford them? Or, do you actually own any speakers at all, other than your non-existent design?

How about Blue Circle? Gilbert Yeung built amazing components for years until he simply retired. 

I really like my $400, second generation B&W 803's, with subs from the prototype 800 woofer used in the DM 16.series. I did keep my 'Stats and my even older B&W stand mounts, but for value... WOW!  Admittedly, I have to use two matching amps and pre-amps to get the sound right, but I also get to alter the bass output to compensate for crappy recordings, so some cheapness is lost.

Interesting thread.  The real "proliferation" of BOSE came with their sub + satellites systems. If you think of it, it was actually audiophiles that were at least somewhat responsible for their success which started in the late 80's but really grew in the 90s. That was right about the time that audiophiles started to allow manufacturers to get away without providing detailed technical information. That allowed them to proliferate a sub with a wickedly high crossover frequency and holes in the spectrum in typical room environments. This would be "law of unintended consequences" :-)

But seriously, Bose is still around in many ways because of technical prowess and consumer awareness. Yes really. What they did in 1984 with their OEM system for the Corvette was beyond most other companies at the time. While not up to today's systems, it was a big step up compared to every prior OEM system (and most aftermarket without modifying the car).  Waveradio was the product people wanted. They were a decade ahead on headphones and active noise cancelling, a much wanted product. Their small BT speakers were also class leading in a similar form factor at the time.


w.r.t the proliferation of speaker brands, back to that audiophiles not insisting on technical details. That has lowered the barrier to entry on speakers (and any number of other products) to just about 0. Anyone can whip together drivers and a cabinet and call themselves a speaker company. If you create good products that don't have defining features, then you better be prepared to stick it out while you develop a following through organic growth.  However, take a tact like Tekton and do something unique (right or wrong), and you can grow much faster (just like the Bose Acoustimass - unique at the time) because you will get free marketing well beyond your size as everyone wants to talk about you.

To stay around, as many have noted, you have to keep catching the customer's eyes (ears). Speakers last a long time, so return sales is a difficult game.