Affordable vs. ultra expensive speakers - what's the difference?

Several things come to mind.

Firstly, where is anything made. Germany, for instance, has the highest employee wages in the world. Things coming from China (a la your first example) not so much.

Secondly, what is th cabinetry construction? Certain speaker cabinets are hand finished using exotic wood veneers. They are "formed" and "contoured" which adds considerably to cost. Others may be "wood like" using vinyl replication.

Thirdly, what is the distribution mark up? I have dealt with distributors that have virtually doubled the price of the component especially from products we stocked that came over seas.

Fourthly, Does the product price point reflect advantageous positioning? In other words, if we msrp something at a higher price point, does this imbue a more desirable and prestigious aspect to the product and thus increase sales to those who hold importance of such? For some, most certainly so.

In short, beyond the build material quality as it relates to speaker voicing, there is a plethora of other aspects that lend to the eventual price of the product.That is why the most important aspect, as previously stated by some, are the ears of the buyer as opposed to the price of the product.

idiotic 

a Ferrarri is a car 

so is a yugo

is aferrari a better car is it worth the difference?

 I am so impressed by the build quality/performance of some manufacturers out there. Once in a while, I build a project for myself or for sale. I have to make decisions about what I am aiming for, or the extent of performance that a product has by it's design to begin with.

 This all seems to be similar to racing cars. Say a fast car costs $50K. A Slightly faster car will cost $75K. Diminishing returns happen after that.

Take your $1500 speakers and swap the $25 tweeter with a $500 Be or AMT and suddenly you hear a major disconnect so then you gotta upgrade the midrange and xover to retain the coherence and on it goes until you’re listening to diamond drivers in a cast marble inclosure that for all their mass completely disappear when playing. Ducati or honda?

That depends upon you and where you are in your audiophile journey.  $50,000 speakers are an endpoint you build your system around think long term investment.

3k speakers could be an endpoint if you are satisfied with the sound but will be a limiting factor in the future if start improving the supporting equipment and will probably be replaced, maybe several times with the possibility of spending much more than the $50,000 depending on where you end up.

The difference is the importance of sound /  music to you now and in the future.

I still miss the robot references.