I didn't think JA's review was that critical - it just wasn't universally rosy the way most gear reviews are these days. He pointed out some areas that he had trouble with, but the tone throughout was fairly positive as he emphasized various strengths as well. People are always saying that they want more critical reviews, and that's what I see JA's review as being. I don't own the Chord and am not in the market for a new DAC, but there was nothing off-putting about his review if I was other than his identification of weaknesses that may or may not be important to a given consumer. -Kirk
