This is the usual retail price for consumers. The product has to be sent via regional distributors, who sell to retailers, who sell to you.
With this you get assurance of after sales support, repair and service channels for the usual life of the product, and sometimes even after warranty has expired. For some people this is invisible; until you have a problem you will realise that it is invaluable.
If you buy direct from a small boutique manufacturer you bypass all these, but then have potential downsides if something goes wrong, you then have to ship the product back to base. You have little recourse and no-one else to advocate for you when things go wrong. Of course in C21 marketing and sales has changed all this; and customer feedback too is now transparent as people have taken to forums and social media to complain if they feel unsupported. So the manufacturer will usually step in to intervened and resolve the issue.
But if the manufacturer no longer exists in x years, or the product is discontinued, then you’re really on your own.
NAD has been around for a long time and have shown themselves to be reliable and dependable. They are like the Toyota of amplifiers IMHO. You can complain about the cost but there are MUCH worse products from much smaller manufacturers.