Why so few speakers have their price listed online

Most speaker manufacturers are still operating on the very outdated dealer model. Part of the advantage of not advertising prices is allowing dealers to quote over-inflated numbers.

@jeffersondavis,

As a dealer, your comment is quite offensive.  A dealer should quote you retail price and if they do anything more, they will not and should not be in business long.  I don't take the comment personally but it does add fuel to the conception that dealers are the 'bad guys' trying to steal your money.

I've always listed prices of my product lines on my website, including those products that I distribute.  Some distributors don't do this and instead let the dealer have the choice as it can create a dealer-client relationship via inquiry.  Really there isn't a right way, but I do get the frustration when you can't simply find pricing.

I would NEVER expect ANY manufacturer to list their prices on their website however.  In these cases, they do have MSRP but many factors can play into regional pricing when you start talking about global representation.  Different taxes, tariffs, shipping costs, buying power... there are many variables that make this scenario a bad choice.

Comparing it to the headphone market isn't really fair either given that the headphone market is highly portable and easily and cheaply shipped.  Territories are not important because in these instances it really isn't required.  When talking about speakers and amplifiers and most things we consider, there is a great cost and risk when shipping gear is concerned, so having a dealer network makes sense.  Very rarely will you actually see a brand gain ground in the market without one.  A few that come to mind are Tekton and Schiit.  In Schiit's case, their gear is still lower risk and cheaper to ship.  In Tekton's case, they simply buck the trend.

Zu and Klipsch list prices also.

I have been searching for speakers as well and have been able to find prices for the most part. The ones I have a hard time or never found the price fall into the "if you have to ask you can't afford it"  crowd. One way you might try neo is look for reviews of the models you are interested in most times they will have the MSRP in the article which can give you a good reference point. If the review is an older model, year or two old,  expect the new model to be about the same price. 

Wow thats a tough one dude!!!!!

"Klipsch and JBL do it because they crank out tons of mass market mid-fi mostly to people shopping Best Buy."

Seriously? Didn't expect such an uneducated comment from someone who claims to be very educated.

What kind of fool buys speakers worth thousands of dollars without hearing them?

What kind of fool buys speakers worth thousands of dollars simply based on a visit to a dealer showroom?  C'mon man, nearly every speaker company that sells direct gives you 30-60 days in home to audition.  Does your dealer give you 60 days to return purchases?

What kind of fool buys speakers worth thousands of dollars without hearing them?

Well, I am not saying I would buy speakers without hearing them. But let's say I want speakers up to 2000$ (or any number) and I know the price of a speaker, I can at least cross it off without having to do much more investigation.

I know many people have said that putting a limit on speaker or other components is not the way to go, but I can only buy as much as I have. I have no problems with people who can buy more expensive gear and I am very happy for them.

+1 glennewdick477

I have bought everything in all 3 of my systems without having previously auditioned any of the speakers or components or cables. The approach isn't for everyone but personally I have no regrets

Well said Glennewdick!

And even if you can take a short trip to a dealer who has the speakers you are interested in there is no guarantee they will sound the same in your room, with your other gear etc.

Sometimes you just have to do the best online research you can and jump in and take an educated chance.