I would imagine the quality of the tubes could also be a factor. A Chinese 12au7 costing $10 vs. a NOS Mullard for $300.
Tube Amp Pricing
I’ve been curious about the costs
of tube gear. As far as my layman eyes can see, the components in tube amps
look similar. And yet, the pricing is all over the place - $30,000 to $1,000.
Is it the amount of engineering that explains the wide differences in cost, the
components, or a combination of the two? Just curious