Your thoughts on J. Atkinsons Chord DAC review...?

The Stereophile review only confirms how poor some of their equipment recommendations can be. Certainly, personal tastes and preferences can lead to different opinions and conclusions, but I've gotten far better advice from my local dealer and fellow Audiogoners than I have from Stereophile. The DAC 64 is a truly outstanding component; open, liquid and detailed in equal measure, very close to a CD 12 in my humble opinion. I have written about it several times in this forum. The Chord absolutely blew away my old Ikemi, and it stomps all other single box players that I've heard, save the CD 12. I have had opportunity to listen to almost all of their Class A CD players, and I suspect the best-reviewed equipment is made by the manufacturer that gives the reviewer the best deal on demo units (or other equipment). I'd like to hear the objective "professional" reviewers deny it, because the special deals may affect their judgement and their ears. If the reviewers wish to be considered "objective," they should disclose their relationships with manufacturers and distributors and let the reader know what "perks" (deep discounts, free equipment, permanent loans, trips to Europe) they get from them. After all, being a "professional" means that you profess and adhere to a code of ethics and conduct, not that you get paid for what you do. Is the Musical Fidelity DAC better than the Chord? Wake up and listen!

I have yet to receive my copy of the July issue, so I can't really comment at this time. From the posts thus far, it would appear that JA truly did a number on the DAC64. I'm rather disappointed, since I've been waiting at least three months for his review, which was hinted at in some of the coverage of one of the audio shows earlier this year. (We all like to have our opinions propped up, regardless of the source.) I had just purchased a DAC64 and was interested in getting opinions from some of the self-proclaimed "experts", so I emailed JA to try and get some preview of his review, to no avail. He did say that his first sample had a defect, requiring a replacement for the completion of the review. I found this interesting, since I, too, had a problem with the first unit I bought, ser. no. 5063. The dealer replaced the defective unit with ser. no. 5100, and I've had no further difficulty. ("...no further difficulty" does Chord a disservice! I've found the unit to be a wonderful addition to my system!)

I'll wait until I've had a chance to read the review to comment further. Suffice it to say for now that I've found the DAC64 to be a salvation, allowing me truly to enjoy CD sound for the first time. Admittedly, my experience with separate transport/DAC combos is quite limited. I can't, however, imagine how anyone can have much in the way of negative comments regarding what I consider a remarkable
piece of equipment. I suspect there is much truth in the comments of others in this thread concerning paid advertising, etc. I would imagine my beloved SoundLab A3s have been totally ignored for lo these many years for the same reason. To which I say: "So what?"

As far as qualifications of so-called "professionals" are concerned, I've felt for a long time that the ONLY difference between "us" and "them" is the fact that "they" have much greater access to equipment than "we" could ever hope for. "They" put their pants on one leg at a time, same as the rest of us. BFD

Stay tuned.

Jim

I was a very happy camper with the EAD Ultradisc 2000 but allowed a dealer to convince me to try the Chord. To say that I was impressed with the Chord would be an understatement. Partnered with a Vecteur D-2 and DH Labs D-75 the Chord sings so sweetly that I can hardly believe that I am listening to -revelling in- digital sound. If your listening preferences go along the lines of maxxing out traditional cd sound, you might be underwhelmed by the Chord. It 'sounds' very unlike any other converter that I have ever heard in its tonally fleshed-out but still dynamically alive presentation. Worth a listen, I'd say.

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

It is interesting to note that Andrew Harrson in the July 2002 edition of HiFi News (British HiFi magazine) said this about the DAC 64: “In conclusion, I’d put the Chord DAC 64 into a reference class for its decoding style and subsequent treatment of music. It’s not its lushness and smooth ride that make it a winner, but the way it threads the route of musicality and natural timing.”

I don’t know about you, but, I get the impression the HiFi News review of the Chord 64 DAC is very favorable. The Stereophile review is definitely not. Makes you wonder who is right?