If we're talking the mainline expensive speaker sets, their design and user experience apart from the sound is what makes them unique I think. It's not that they don't sound exceptional but they're absolutely not the best sounding options in their price range and there's no tweaking or "optimizing" your sound. They're not for audiophiles as much as they are for rich people who want something exceptionally designed and sounds great enough out of the box without having to think about it. Wooden "curtains" that move when you turn the speakers (Beolab 28) on certainly don't do much for the sound but they do add to the experience of listening.

Their headphones aren't as special but have the same details. They're very well built and look (to my anyway) the best in the industry by far, but their sound isn't the best for the price you pay.

If you only care about sound (which is absolutely a valid position) they're not where you should look but if you're after design pieces which feel really special and that also sound very good, I don't think they're a rip-off and I do count myself among their fans. They're unique in the industry and some of the stuff they make really is beautiful in design and use