The issue of price was raised:
http://www.audiokabel.dk/da-amps.htm
3900 Kroener exchanges out at about $650. About 6 DKK per
USD
That's the retail price for a *complete* amp, including case, connectors,
packaging et al.
The OEM module - here a 500 w/4 ohm version - costs much less, say less than
USD 150 FOB in OEM quantities.
Now a little bit of fun.
Let's have a look at the web site of a manufacturer using ASP modules:
Say, Red Dragon Audio.
http://www.reddragonaudio.com/main.htm
Their SA 1000 is sold direct for USD 1,799 (plus tax and shipping)
http://www.reddragonaudio.com/sa1000.htm
It uses two 1000ASP modules housed in a very nice aluminum box fitted with
sturdy sockets, jacks, binding posts and feet,, which looks identical to the
Entry 130 manufactured in China and sold in North America by Digital
Analogue DIY for USD 130 (Qty one, end user price).
http://www.digitalanaloguediy.com/entry130.html
Hmmm. Some modules - minimum order is half a pallet, 80 modules, so you have
to front something like 30 G's, some nice boxes, a couple of feet of
internal wiring, a mains cable, a sturdy UPS-proof box and a laser-printed
user manual
Presto, a new "manufacturer" is born...
(All this in order to show that the wide availability of OEM modules will
have the same effect on the audio market than it had on PC's: we'll see more
and more state of the art products at affordable prices. We'll also see
manufacturers trying to differentiate their offerings with tweaked or
custome solutions).