I think there are Chinese brands that see the money that can be made in the High Fidelity industry and want to sell under the more mainstream brands ie Cary, ARC, McIntosh, and the boutique brands which demand even higher prices. Line Magnetic, Doge, Yaqin, Mingda, Muzishare and Willsenton come to mind. The Willsenton r800i looks very impressive and they have a shop in the US for repairs.
If one buys an amp like PL at a very good price, it's easier to upgrade or off load it. If I but an ARC reference I am investing high $$$. I might take a big hit, selling it.
I have a Line Magnetic integrated tube amp that I bought from a local dealer and I really like it alot. Once the transformer failed (after about 4 years of heavy use) and LM Audio took care of it. There is a misconception that ALL CHI-FI is bad and poorly made. That is just not true....