George,
it seems to me there is a big confusion about supply chain cost, and even more about why HiEnd audio is more expensive than consumer products.
The design Idea of AGD amps (by the way 200W on 4ohm, so I would like to have the header of this blog corrected eventually), was not simply the utilization of the GaN as power semiconductor for the power stage, which is actually a specific innovation per se.
The product has also unique features about the industrial design, materials, finishing, shape proportion and the way it is presented overall, including, last but not least, the non trivial idea (easy to imagine a bit more challenging to make it as industrial product), of integrating the power stage in a glass tube.
So there are many peculiarities that make this product quite unique among all kind power amps in the market, and certainly, unique among the one using GaN.
Moreover, you underestimate the issue of distribution costs, and dealer margins that unfortunately, have a serious impact to the overall economics.
But instead of making a case with a long list of negative things and hoping or wishing for a brutal mass market distruction of values, intelletual property, patent infringments and so on, why don’t you spend the time to try and listen the sound of these new products?
Then you would be able to make a more serious case, expecially if in the process, you discover their true value.
Hope to see you at Axpona and possibly in Munich
Best
AG