Roxy, Yes I am out a nice chunk of change. It was a crowd-funded project on Indiegogo (similar to Kickstarter). Crowdfunding works like this: You pledge (back) a project, and pay up front. The backers' money is (supposedly) used to fund the actual production of the product that you backed. Celander is correct: you risk losing your investment if the project falls apart. In my particular case, LH Labs did deliver as promised a Pulse DAC from an Indiegogo campaign that was launched around the same time as the others that I referred to in my OP, and that DAC sounds very good at what I consider an exceptional value. =The Hook.
Celander, the reason for my OP was to find out if there are a lot of people outside the Indiegogo product-specific forums and LH Labs' own forums who feel ripped off (and maybe along the way, whether or not anybody is pursuing legal action against LH Labs). I understand your astonishment, but rest assured that I am not wondering if I have been ripped off. I think a lot of people are embarrassed to have sent so much money into the black hole that is LH Labs and do not want to share their mistakes on a public forum.
Thanks to both of you. I think we can safely put this thread to bed now.