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

I think this thread perfectly points out the disconnect between costs of small quantity versus large quantity. I have an old Jag, a 2001 XKR. I paid 20K for it, but it was over 100K new. How it was worth 100K I never understood until visiting ATC one year. One of the guys in engineering worked at Jaguar in Coventry. He explained the ridiculous cost of Jag parts had nothing to do with value of the part, it had to do with all custom parts produced in very small quantities. He said Jag buys 50 sets of brake parts and Ford buys 50,000 or more for a similar brake package (mustangs). Jag sold only 200 cars like mine in 2001- I wonder how many Mustangs Ford built?

A brake manufacturer doesn’t want to bother with a 50pc order when they could get a 5,000 pc order and make way more money.  So Jag has to pay BIG to get the attention of that brake maker if they want them to make only 50 of these critical parts for them. That’s why it was 100K+ new.

This is exactly the principle in high end loudspeakers. A manufacturer may have ultra elaborate machined parts that are ordered in groups of 10.  JBL may have a similar part they buy for $200 becasue they buy 50,000pcs.  it might cost this ultra highend company $2,500 for that part in quantities of 10.

You as the possible purchaser study the JBL and the exotica speaker and try to figure why one costs so much more than the other when from a parts count perspective, you cannot justify it. However, it you really want one and have the money, plus you know there is only 10 in the world, you pay the price.

That’s why these $100,000-$200,000 speakers exist- to create them costs a LOT due to the exotic nature of the parts and extremely small quantity ordered.

Brad

@lonemountain 

Yes… and the point of using small quantities or making you own driver is to achieve a sound not possible to achieve otherwise… so the sound achieved must justify the cost or they go out of business quickly. This is where professional reviewers and to a smaller extent forums enforce the value proposition. You build a $70K speaker most of your clientele are going to,be sophisticated and professional reviewers familiar with the competition.

any competent business person takes into account fixed cost/one time expenditures to create/develop a product for sale, and how such costs relate to the anticipated sales volume of said product - failure to do so is financial malpractice

that is not say that all folks in the hifi business are always competent at business... the shores are littered with the bodies of the legions whom are not...

Currently I DIY my speakers....not the ’box’, the driver itself.
As is said: Priceless.

@asvjerry - I’m guessing you’ve gone straight from internal speaker wire to the tinsel leads for the motor? I have been told that Bybee clarifiers that magnetically attach to the magnets can do some pretty great things too.
I’ve personally tried Bybee bullets with one end clamped and soldered on the tinsel leads and my ribbon internal wire on the other end for bass drivers.
My tweeters however, the terminals disappear into the motor housing - I am not fighting that fight.
You’ve tried blu-tack as a gasket ?
I love it, until I try to remove the driver Then it’s all #$%&#@**. I’d like to read more of your experimentation mate.

BTW - none of the above would have been revealed by measurements. In all cases, the speakers were essentially full range and measure well.

@mgrif104
I am very confident that if you had the time, the right tools, and simply had to know how specific things like: cabinet resonances, energy dissipation of the cabinets, the measured frequency responses of each driver relating to the crossover points, anti-phase measurements of the crossover interaction with drivers, the measurable noise introduced by electrical components in the crossover circuit including PCB and inductor placement.. (please don’t try to read this out aloud) all affecting the performance of the voicing of the loudspeakers in question, you could measure differences.

What I’m trying to say is, there are honestly really measurable and quantifiable reasons, when taken as a whole, that can be used to indicate why one pair of loudspeakers are more convincing in reproduction of music than another.

I do not say this to offend you, but to inform you that real engineering differences between the designs and materials are the reason for the sonic differences, and that these differences with current technologies, are in fact measurable.
Knowledge is used to create better sounding equipment, I’m convinced of this.

Giving some thought ( I Really 'Do' that, if only for the shock value ), one can compare speaker 'valuation' contrasted to violins...

A 'student' vs. a Strad.  And then there's everything in between. ;)

Now, taking into consideration... the Listener.

Last, but certainly, not the least....

The Operator, bow in hand.

Obviously, the student could torture you with a Strad.

And the talented could make an 'entry level' instrument sing.

(Granted, the latter might still sound like it was made with scraps, but it would be as good as one could experience....😏 )

I've always considered loudspeaker to each have their own 'voicing'....not an unusual approach to be sure.  We all have our tastes, preferences, and of course, budget as to the 'company we keep' to recreate a performance of some sort.

The latter applied to speakers that perform to the levels of that which supplies the copy of the performance played has it's own synergy.  And then there's the room.

...unless bought for the 'brag' of it all.  Then you're weirder than me. *L*

@rixthetrick  Nice of you to consider me a surgeon of sorts....*G*

There are moments when a prehensile tail would be really handy.  Understand why the species gave them up, but certainly they may have gotten one in trouble vs. useful in the day2day...

No, more the 'Butcher of Cones', a Visigoth Vandal, a Walsh Wastrel.
( I kinda like the 'barbarian' tone of it all....Frank N. Stein ain't got nuthin' on me...)

First attempted in the early '00's, a diversion from The Great Pursuit

Over time, it's actually been more fun overall. *S*

'BluTack'?  No, but thanks for the 'heads up' to not try.... ;)

More interested in a means to invert the basket....and of course, some baskets need not apply.

At that juncture, one goes mfr. hunting,

Or buys a lot of stuff...*L*