Totem Forest uses a Swan driver???????

You might be surprised just how inexpensive most drivers are in speakers that are well over $3000. I wouldn't worry about it. It is all relative as long as you enjoy the end results. That's why some audiophiles go DIY..they get first hand knowledge of what drivers and other parts are used in their speakers..no surprises.

Warnerwh , I believe this is what most are refering to. The kits give you a chance to see what's going on with a speaker and how it works. The designers of these kits don't treat the intrinsic designs like an ancient chinese secret or form of magic, as do some of the big brand names out there. This allows the end user to get a better grasp on what's involved.

I totally agree it is complicated. That's why there are speaker kit designers. ;-) If your lazy like me, you can even have them to assemble the kit for you. This saves a lot of money as you don't pay for a middle man or distribution fees. Sorry Warnerwh I forgot ..you are the middleman. :-o

Now if you can work past cost verses performance = the more you pay = pride of ownership illusion..you could possibly be a happy camper.LOL

As Ultrakaz points out the ratio could be 5:1 or more. You'll notice with kits the ratio comes down considerably.
My speaker ratio is less than 2:1 as the driver and internal components are roughly 1/2 the cost of the complete speaker including labor. Throw in the cabinets and labor and the the speaker cost 2/3 to build what it sells for. Speaker kits with this ratio would sell retail..I'm guessing some where between $5000 and $6000. That's using the 5:1 ratio which includes manufacturing speaker cost of $1150 for parts and labor.

Beheme,
You have the answers ..just read between the lines.

Cheers