What Is The Cost Of Amplifier Casework?

Seems that the common agreement here is that the prettier the item, the more you'r paying for appearance vs. performance.

So...it comes down to whether or not you're trying to impress your eyes or your ears in the first place.

There seems to be examples of beautiful equipment that eats dust vs. 'plain Jane'.  And why am I not surprised...;)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Big-Aluminum-Chassis-PASS-Class-A-Power-Amplifier-Enclosure-DIY-Case-Hi-End-...

The parts for this chassis could not be sourced in the US for the asking price of this one.  


Good Listening

Peter

Vertec Tool, Inc. in Colorado Springs, CO makes Dan Dagostino and Jeff Rowland’s enclosures which are both amazing pieces of CNC machine tool work. These enclosures cost serious money to build not only due to the design work / machine time, but because the materials used are also quite pricey!

http://www.vertectool.com/gallery.html

You simply have to put your hands on a D'Agostino or Rowland piece to understand the level of quality in their casework.  Rowland amps even have highly precise machined parts inside that most people never see.  That both manufactures have significant cost in the chassis is obvious, but it is interesting to note the the DAG Momentum S250 stereo amp is priced at over twice the retail cost of the Rowland 625 S2.  Both are roughly equivalent products.  This gives a picture of the arbitrary pricing of high end gear beyond markup of actual cost to produce the piece.