A reality is the the Hardware to produce the DAC will be comparative as a BOM to DACs that come with a much lesser retail price.
Is the R&D cost for the DAC and a follow up expectation of a low volume of sales the substantiation for the retail price selected?
Has the Design for the Housing for the DAC been produced in a unusual method and being bespoke, rare and quite unique, adding considerable cost to the overall end cost?
Is the Volume of Air within the Chassis classed by the Company as being priceless, but in this case, by substantially undercutting the price that was intended to be realised, a concerted effort has been made to help it become affordable to a larger collection of customers?