evanescent
Head-Fier
Cost, design and performance matter for the price of the manufacturer.The deeper I go into this hobby (and wow, am I deep lol), the more I realize that by-in-large you get what you pay for. Much more often than not, gear costs what it costs because that's where it's cost of parts, design, and performance, plus the realities of the market context, land it.
A bit part of the Schiit proposition is that they sell direct - for a consumer you buy at their manufacturer price + shipping. There would be a small increment for their return policy and support as well.
But for most of the other brands being discussed, there's an a much larger (100% or so) markup for distribution. That pays for shop rent, employees, owner profits etc
So it shouldn't be surprising if Schiit direct products end up comparable to products that cost 2x as much from a distributor / local store.