Boutique brands tend to seem to carry a bit of prestige, whether we are talking about audio, bicycles, or other hobbies. Boutique brands usually seem to have better QC, but that isn't guaranteed to be the reality.
But, then you have to ask yourself if that little bit of prestige is worth the fact that these small manufacturers will never match the manufacturing power and the engineering resources of the big name players in your hobby. Will the smaller players have the proper stock for warranty repairs and replacement?
I can tell you with certainty, as far as an AV processor (or AVR), I would only be looking at the big boys, which likely means D&M or Yammy today (Pioneer was on my list in the past and very pleased with my legacy Pio gear).
I have also seen a fair share of complaints with boutique mtb brands over on mtbr too, brands where the user paid a premium but did not get a premium experience when problems developed. Compare that to a brand like Trek, where they will actually allow a modified warranty to transfer to someone who purchased a used Trek bike.
