One thing to keep in mind is that the selling price is very rarely decided by the engineering or design department. The marketing department is in charge of deciding the list price and the allowed dealer markup. Much has to do with perceived value -- particularly in an industry like high-end audio, a product simply will not sell profitably unless it is priced at a high enough level (how could something be seen as "high end" unless it is expensive?).
But you could take that knowledge and think you can ’win’ by not paying the high prices, go for some newly introduced speakers that are well designed and sound good but don’t cost crazy money (and made by a company that probably won’t be around long since they just don’t get viewed as being "high end" and get zero attention). Maybe, but only if you choose correctly, and are sure those are the speakers you will want for a long time. Because when you try to sell your speakers to get something else, the ’perceived value’ effect is still there and you may find it difficult to find anyone interested in your older wise choice!
But you could take that knowledge and think you can ’win’ by not paying the high prices, go for some newly introduced speakers that are well designed and sound good but don’t cost crazy money (and made by a company that probably won’t be around long since they just don’t get viewed as being "high end" and get zero attention). Maybe, but only if you choose correctly, and are sure those are the speakers you will want for a long time. Because when you try to sell your speakers to get something else, the ’perceived value’ effect is still there and you may find it difficult to find anyone interested in your older wise choice!