Manufacturing has economies of scale. Many major brands hire competent engineers, including professional audio companies. Boutique audio companies will tell you it's as much about art as engineering and amplifiers and DAC's have to be "voiced" like a violin. The truth is the fidelity is mostly about engineering and looks and marketing is where most of the art is. Someone that sells a few dozen amps in a year has to charge an arm and a leg for them to stay in business. A company that sell thousands can charge much less. This is why cost and fidelity don't always correlate.
Advantages of owning equipment from major audio brands vs. boutique shops?
As someone new to home audio, the many brands of equipment is overwhelming. I learn about a new brand almost daily. Today it was Valvet and their A4 MKII monoblocks. Is it correct to assume that advantage to owning equipment from the major players is a result of the dollars they invest in R&D and the company stability, translating to piece of mind via their warranty, and the ability to get a component repaired? I would think resale value also plays a factor.
Because the small shops often sell direct, cutting out layers of profit, there appear to be some good deals on well performing kit. Other than price, are there advantages to investing in boutique brand equipment? It seems the offset to a better price might be their instability in the market, resulting in possibly owning a very heavy, expensive paper weight should they close their doors and your component need service, and a lessor resale value.