Why pay so much for super high end?

davt 

For health reasons perhaps you should move to colorado and smoke something else.

mr_m

Please admit that you had nothing better to do with your saturday. What else would you do, read the news? That might throw you over the brink.

Accurate assessment of the the state of high-end. However great speakers aren't a dime a dozen. 
The mark of a truly great speaker is how it sounds to the ear over the test of time.  Some actually get better to the ear some worse. Still, all subjective.
Patience is the virtue of virtues in high end. Get some ASAP if the high end is your bag and it'll pay off. I did and the only way to enjoy high end. Go figure.
Its a big joke anyway isn't it, just like your trying to say.

There are many brands that are as hood as name brands .such as Viva, peerless
Usher, seas they all have very good models that have great specs,even scan speak, has lesser models that are as good in older models for far less money's.
It I'd how they measure ,then implemented in the Heart if the speaker the Xover
By far the one area to blAmerica. I have learned long ago for example
In the vast majority of Loudspeakers , as well as amplifiers,preamps.
Using Solen capacitors , and in many cases even cheaper Chinese capacitors
And those white sand cast resistors.
I just upgraded what was considered a good speaker in the Salk Budd Fried tribute
Loudspeaker, which could be bought with premium Xover parts.
I went from stock Solen caps to Mundorf supreme  then to VH oimp caps . 
And Path resistors. it total transformed these Loudspeakers, I then put The same VH oimp  caps in the preamp coupling caps ,and output in my Pass F6 amp .
The whole system increase across the board well over 10%. which is a Huge jump
In any Audiophile system for only $1200 in parts labor was maybe 600.
My advise if buying new find out what quality parts are in your loudspeaker before hand, if Average capacitors like Solen , ask for a upgrade,mils or Mundorf hood resistors ,best are Duelund,and Path audio my favorite , and good Copper inductors Sally use Jantzen which are very good. buying used electronics research in Manhattan amps especially Mcintosh use red square Wima caps ok at best 
Many capaciyors such as VH audio, Mundorf , Audyn, Jupiter, Duelund just for 
A small example .buy used electronics have upgraded transform your unit for 
Less then buying new.

fun...fun

So Wilson Benesch spent 250,000 pounds sterling to develop a good driver for their speakers. Sounds like the kind of speaker development that audiophiles would like to see more of. I would think.