Most of the folks I know who paid premium for acoustimass had no clue what sound quality is about (one guy I know also bought "awesome" speakers off the back of a truck, which he never used), satisfaction seems based upon how loud it can get and how high the cool factor/WAF is. The QCII headphones are very nice for the simple reason that I can wear them on the plane without a cable and sleep soundly, and there's really no other noise cancelling headphones that deliver as much (not when I bought them, anyway). The fact is, Bose is good at making products that appeal to other than audiophiles, and they've cleverly developed a premium perception in spite of that (see Wave radio). A sales staff dedicated to the brand doesn't hurt, either.