i think it was rob (puffin) who was telling me the hisory of the gainclone chip
the first company that used it in a high end bit of kit charged a fortune for it... then people worked out it could be made for £50 with ease to sound as good.... ....
the company that was selling them for a lot of money had to pay all thier overheads etc but had obviously added on a fair amount of ££ just to make it look like something more special! what about that grado headphone amp?? its a bloody cmoy ... i made a cmoy for £20!! grado sell them for £300!! im not saying its not a good amp.. and it does sound good with grados! aparently the opamp in it is even cheaper than the one in mine!! ££££ does not = quality!