It's true that some of the Sunn stuff is overpriced but the same goes for Fender, Orange, Hiwatt, Vox, Matamp, Sound City, and Marshall of the same era.
Last year I purchased a 1968 Sunn Sorado on Ebay for $400 shipped, in a Anvil road case. It had originally auctioned off for $360 and the winner didn't pay, so the seller reposted it BIN for $400. This isn't a rare occurrence, I've seen similar Sunn and Ampeg (I have Ampeg B25B that I purchased for $300) amps
sell in the same price range all the time. I have also seen similar amps
listed for far more but I have yet to see them sell at the higher prices.
If I were to have taken my $400 out on the hunt for similar amps made in that era (or any era for that matter) from most of the other companies I listed, I would have been laughed at.
I do get that certain players/genres of music can definitely influence prices of gear. I also admit I was steered towards Sunn and Ampeg by the style of music I play. To get the sound I wanted I needed amps that took pedals well and stayed clean at loud volumes. Everywhere I looked kept leading me back to Sunn and Ampeg and I still have yet to find another amp in the $300-$400 range that does what I want any better. If you have any suggestions please let me know. The only current amps I found in that range were
Bugeras. What would you consider a fair price for a 40 year old hand wired tube amp? I looked into the Laney you mentioned and they seem to sell in that same range so I guess the "fuckheads" are already onto them. I really am interested in a cheaper alternative if one exist.
To to sum it up:
Yes, Sunn amps can be overpriced but they still offer a better value than most similar amps of the same era.
As far a Emperor goes if they can keep the quality/service up and the price down I'm all for it.

P.S. I can be a dick but I'm not trying to be one right now, so please don't take it like that.
P.S.S.
The Best/Worst of Both Worlds 