Pass Labs

"It seems in some circles if an audio product is very affordable yet
said to sound excellent it will be viewed warily by some merely because it isn’t expensive (enough)."

Perhaps, but how many "giant killers" or fad budget items of the year/month have there been that turned out not to be the Davids that some reviewer(s) or bandwagon fanboys made them out to be?  Healthy skepticism?

Or, is this a status symbol/bragging-right thing?

"There is little to no market, for the average audiophile (affordable for someone making $65k)."

What? I make well in excess of $65k, but with my household and familial obligations, that is far from affordable to me.

Pair of X 600.8s for sale at a bargain on this site!

"Bandwagon fanboys"…great sounding term…my next band name...

  I would imagine that the price of some of the Pass Labs amps might be more affordable if they did away with those meters.
  I sometimes wonder if Pass Labs gets a "pass" when it comes to how often there gear measures up short of their own specs when tested by Stereophile. I would have thought that at the asking prices that meeting specs would be the least that sould be expected.