Why Is Hi Fi Gear So Darn Expensive?

I drive a truck and have a German Integrated. Go figure.

I also love being the most expensive in my industry. 

@mapman 
We are talking about hi-fi pricing per your original post. No one here is talking about advances in technology. It’s a given that we are moving forward, thank God. 

I’ve been looking at speakers lately and noticed the grilles for Magico speakers cost $850 or something.  The grilles!  There is nothing fancy or special to make them cost that much.  This is just one of many, many examples.

On one hand it seems like manufacturers are taking the piss.  But on the other hand, wouldn’t that leave an opening in the market for some upstart to go for massive volume sales at lower margins, by creating top performing gear at a fraction of the cost?

multiple reasons surrounding the central [greedy] reason of "just because it is what the market will bear." your effortless ability to afford exorbitantly-priced luxury hi-fi gear is one of those symbolic things that tells potential mates that you have enough cognitive and physical prowess that you can take care of yourself and a mate/children with no problem, that you have no trouble earning lots of $$$$$$ in a short amount of time, disposable income in general is one sign of this quasi-genetic fitness for mating. 

They asked what they want and that's the only thing. I can built an amp good looking finish sounds pretty good and van asked 20.000dollars.