The new dynamic in speaker pricing

The pricing in all luxury goods tracks disposable incomes. The disparity between the middle class and the top even 5% of buyers continues to grow. It is no wonder that magazines want a cut from the top instead of the middle.

As an audiophile who has to work for a living I feel being a builder is a great way to learn to enjoy your hobby more and keep your costs firmly on the ground.

@j-wall  I've heard several Von Schweikert speakers from the VR-35 to the Ultra 11.  The Ultra 9 and 11 sounded better than any audio system I've ever heard (and I've probably heard about 1000 at shows mostly and maybe 50 in homes).  Sure, they also were accompanied by nearly $1 million in equipment/cabling in huge rooms.   However, buying slightly used speakers is bargain shopping for great sound.  I don't think I could afford even the best speaker for my room, the Ultra 7 at $180,000 or even the Ultra 55 at $100,000.  But I intend to purchase the VR9SE II from 2015 for under $50,000.  

My friend has YG Acoustic Sonja 2.3s, $115,000 speakers.   They sound better than my Legacy Focus which sell for around $2500-$3000.   However, the difference between his and my speaker isn't worth the difference to me.   I lack his 3D open sound and great ambience retrieval.  Otherwise, I'm quite satisfied with my musical (as opposed to ultra-resolving) sound.   

There is another reason (besides my matched excellent equipment/cabling) that my inexpensive speakers sound great.   I spent $150,000 constructing a custom built listening room which I have previously described on forums.   I don't have peaks or valleys and have built-in the wall bass traps.   

Unless I have a doubling in income, I just am too conservative to spend MAP on a new pair of speakers.   I would rather purchase "last year's" model for 25% to 35% of MAP.  And I love music, as a amateur recording engineer, performer and listener (over 2 hours daily).    

@fleschler Great point about the cost of the room. I would think that anyone who has the ability to buy the mega $$ speaker would have a room that could accommodate it. Not just from a size perspective ( although this is a given) but also from the acoustic requirements. This may be an assumption that is incorrect, as I suspect ( and I have seen a few poor room set ups with very pricey gear) that this is not always going to be the case. If one has a budget like you stated, then i would think that putting the bulk of the budget into the room and its acoustics will pay greater dividends than just about anything else. As you describe.

Question is what your friends very nice YG’s would sound like in your room?...I would guess that you would be tempted to pass on your Legacies then!

Yes, he also has a pair of subs and he paid $12K to separate the YGs woofers from the main speaker (they are adjacent now) so that the tweeter is more at ear level (they are too high as originally constructed).  They throw a huge soundstage and excellent focus which is much better than my speakers; but, alas, his room is 20x20X10 and has windows behind his speakers, mostly untreated room with no acoustic treatment or tweaks.  I'm surprised that it sounds so good but he does have another $200K in equipment/cabling.  His system more often homogenizes the sound whereas my system allows me to hear greater differences in each recording while being very involving.  

@fleschler  Your friend is very typical of a number of a'philes who much prefer putting their money into gear than into the room acoustics! Crazy to do this, IME.

The benefit he would get with going to similar lengths as you did to treat his room would far off-set the differences he likely got from lowering the far too high YG tweeters. Windows behind speakers is also never a great thing, IMO. That, plus his room is basically a square results in the sound you describe.