Retail price has nothing to do with it. Many manufacturers use ridiculous amounts of markup because people think that if it is more expensive, it must be better. Also, the large margins offered makes it very appealing for distributors. There are tables that I have heard that are 5k that sound better than others at the much higher prices.
I do not want to offend anyone who owns the TechDas, but between the two you mentioned, I greatly preferred the sound of the Walker. When setup properly, it is a very good sounding system.
Jonathan, regarding pricing that is certainly the case. Everyone understands that increasing the price makes the product more attractive to more people. It’s just the way the world works.
But as a successful guy in this extremely tough industry, you very well know that pricing is a tricky task since it is hard to judge quality of “experience goods” objectively. There is no quick and easy magic formula that one can “plug and chug” that will make the manufacturer, dealer, or distributor rich and the table owner proud and fully satisfied.
Sure, there are some less knowledgeable folks that would pay $20 for a $10 bottle of wine in Napa. But those folks are tourists passing by, not aficionados or experts. You wouldn’t be able to fool a vegetarian by taking him to Burger King, pulling out the beef patties from a Whopper, and telling him you are giving him a veggie burger. Likewise, if you would to ask knowledgeable analog folks, most would include these 2 tables as the cohort of the best. Stereophile Class A list has other excellent choices to satisfy other tastes and preferences.
No one is claiming that $100k is the “right price”. 2 of the best economists on Earth would not agree on what the “right” price should be for any product. Even if we took all the Nobel prize winners (and dug up all the dead Nobel laureates) and asked them to give us the price of IBM stock (or any stock), no one would agree. So the reality is that no one knows the “right” price. Furthermore, experts frequently disagree, so it’s a great idea to average out all of their opinions.
For those trying to sell something, running pricing experiments is the best thing they can do. But even then, it’s not a sure thing. That’s why it’s a good idea to experiment with pricing and to trust the individuals coming together in a free market.
And out of curiosity, since so many folks are looking for a good value, which $5K tables hit above their weight?