Well of course you pay a premium for premium quality, one could almost use this as a characterising definition. Now, do not go and say "oh but bose sounds like crap for the money!!!111!!" Perception of premium quality is something all smart retailers/firms strive towards, in general, of course. Why would anyone even bother with branding if this were not the case? Like a previous poster said, for a given price he would have a porsche over a ford. Why? Porsche makes cool, suave, sexy cars that make people point, look, turn their heads, etc. All perceptions one has...."oh, if I had a porsche, this, that and the other would occur".
I realise you have some affinity for bose, and really this discussion also has nothing to do with headphones other then the use of bose in your post, a company that makes many things other than headphones. It may just have some philosophical merit, but making a moot point is hardly any basis for discussion.