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Wait till you realize that they actually want to pay more for it because the idea it cost so much makes it sound better to you.

If you have niche requirements then expect to pay some premium for the gear because the development costs are amortized into the unit price. It’s that way for AV gear as well as many other niches.

If the market won’t bear the price then people or companies able or willing to bear the development risk will shrink, or in this case maybe never develop.

I'm not sure I follow, you consider $100 for a microphone that sounds like you're standing next to the person instead of listening to them over the internet expensive?

As for audio interfaces: if you don't want one, don't buy one, get the same mix as USB version instead of XLR, and done.