Are these damned brands or not good speakers?

Like anything it is a matter of capability, efficiency and money. In order to make any product inexpensively you need to invest in expensive machinery and you have to make a lot of copies to amortize the cost of all that machinery and labor over as many units as possible which means you also have to keep the price down so you can sell a lot of them. So jon is right. Who wants to be seen driving around in a Kia. The Rolls does a better job of telling people to get out of your way. You get there just the same. I'd rather get a 911 and just drive around everyone:)

Cheers soundsrealaudio.

I think it cuts both ways. There are small companies seriously trying to make a good product and there are companies just trying to make a profit. As always it is consumer beware. It is difficult to audition equipment correctly which is why I am very fond of the companies that allow in home trials and demos. Some of us are lucky to have decent stores near by. Otherwise you have to know what you like, what you want and how to filter opinions and reviews.