"Isn’t phony clones no different then getting out of the shower and putting on dirty underwear?"

Exactly my thought....WTF??!! Stay off drugs...
the transistors and traces don’t know whose name is on the front panel
That’s true, but if you want a clone closest to the level of component / construction it won’t be cheap!

https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/Study-Copy-Dartzeel-NHB108-Deluxe-Version-power-amplifier-HIFI-NO-Neg...
The Douk Audio 108 clones actually sound quite good. I'm not sure which current clones are comparable. The high priced clones look remarkably similar inside, but I would not pay that much for a clone.