DCS threatening Goldensound..What an industry this is

skids929 · Jul 14, 2024

ecwl said:
Similarly, I also think we should be open-minded about the dCS side. So far, we are getting a one-sided story (albeit pretty convincing to me as Goldensound presented dCS’s concerns quite openly). It is always possible that we will hear from dCS from their perspective that seems more reasonable to us. Or even that we will find out it’s a big misunderstanding on dCS’s part.

Well it was enough for headphones.com CEO to come out and say they dropped them and won't be selling their equipment anymore. You've heard from DCS side, he posted the attorney letter detailing what they took issue with. Pathetic....I am all about being open minded, but definitely short of putting my head in the sand when it comes to how this industry works. Most things you read in terms of reviews are PAID for, it's sponsorship disguised as an objective review. Forums are definitely full of user opinion, and somehow you get more objective reviews from that. I guess that says something, and it says something about DCS approach too.

If I am GoldenSound I wear this as a badge of honor..The kid is smart as a whip, and mostly honest. Look where that got him. DCS isn't in a defensible position so I personally wouldn't defend it with taking the unbiased route.

Ron Resnick · Jul 14, 2024

We are not getting the dCS side directly, but this fellow in the video seems thoughtful and reasonable. His website also is thoughtful and well-done, focusing on transparency and efforts to avoid conflicts of interest.

Does anyone know the fellow in the video?

skids929 · Jul 14, 2024

Ron Resnick said:
We are not getting the dCS side directly, but this fellow in the video seems thoughtful and reasonable. His website also is thoughtful and well-done, focusing on transparency and efforts to avoid conflicts of interest.

Does anyone know the fellow in the video?

I don't know him personally but I when I was researching DACs a while back I got familiar with his reviews because they are great, and detailed and precise on the technical aspects. Of course I am an firm believer in listening in my own space and I even got a DAC he loved and I thought was horrible, proof it's all in the listening. But I like his reviews and his general overall attitude towards hifi. He's one of the good ones for sure....Him, Hans, DARKO , and Mike I think are the best out there IMO...I can't see how he deserves this, to me it's a scare tactic from DCS. It hurts our industry and innovation but hey, we're already beholden to manufacturers that charge us entirely too much for gear and then blame the dealers, let DCS control the market some more. Pretty soon it will only be millionaires who can afford to have a decent hifi system at this rate.

Ron Resnick · Jul 14, 2024

I think his name is Cameron. I sent him an e-mail to become acquainted.

thedudeabides · Jul 14, 2024

Another Johnson said:
There is more to this story. John Giolas is a gentleman. dCS is a responsible company. A review of a not current product would not precipitate this exchange unless there is more to it.

We are seeing a selected picture to put the reviewer in the best light.

Respect your opinion and I hope that's the case. Based on the video, again assuming total accuracy, my gut reaction is a big "maybe". Dcs always has the option of a public response to clarify the issue.

awsmone · Jul 14, 2024

thedudeabides said:
Respect your opinion and I hope that's the case. Based on the video, again assuming total accuracy, my gut reaction is a big "maybe". Dcs always has the option of a public response to clarify the issue.

Doesn’t Cameron allude to what triggered them now, with some twitter post of him leaving a voice message reply which was partly about their Lina dac and clock, and him wondering out loud whether any improvement in SQ from the clock might be from dsp rather than reclocking itself. He claims and I have no way of knowing myself, that this voice message of him talking about the DCS Lina was re-edited to make it sound like he was claiming that DCS was doing this , I think is what he was suggesting. Maybe then they went back and looked at his written review of the old Barton and decided it was an issue, forensically went thru the review, he did admit quite openly he got the reclocking spec wrong. I would be interested to any DCS owners whether DCS or he is right about when you factory reset it goes back to DSD or DXD. If he is right, it seems strange they would take issue with this, unless there are firmware differences between updates …..Cameron did have a big Barney with Meridian over MQA claims early in his reviewing career, and used his you tube platform to systematically review their counterclaims, so he is no stranger to getting the ire of manufacturers, which doesn’t mean he isn’t within his rights to give his opinion. I have enjoyed his reviews, though I also don’t agree with everything he likes which is fine, his technical reports are very comprehensive.

rangda · Jul 14, 2024

Another Johnson said:
There is more to this story. John Giolas is a gentleman. dCS is a responsible company. A review of a not current product would not precipitate this exchange unless there is more to it.

We are seeing a selected picture to put the reviewer in the best light.

Having just watched the original (now 3 years old) review, there is nothing in it, even if it's wrong, that warrants pushing the nuclear button.

The bad review comes down to the fact that the reviewer finds the sound of the Bartok flat and unengaging. An opinion which could certainly be disputed but if it's an honest opinion, and the reviewer appears genuine, is equally valid to someone loving the sound. And the reviewer points out the large amount of noise present in the DSD upsampler; which is a fact not an opinion. We can certainly debate how much that noise matters, but the presence or absence of it is a measurement. Which I notice DCS never claims is not true.

DCS has apparently never heard of the Streisand Effect.

Ron Resnick · Jul 14, 2024

I just watched the Bartok review. Cameron says many times variously the DAC sounds smooth and soft and overly smooth.

Cameron is giving his subjective sonic impression of the DAC. I don't know what dCS is exercised about.

(I am surprised anybody would accuse a dCS product of being overly smooth.)

Al M. · Jul 15, 2024

rangda said:
DCS has apparently never heard of the Streisand Effect.

The audience reach of GoldenSound (Cameron) is quite something. I was checking the viewer numbers of the video posted in the OP on YouTube. Two hours after posting it was 2.5 K views, now at 14 hours after posting it's 30 K views. You do the math, obviously the number of views only will greatly expand from there.

Talking about dCS hurting their own business. How dumb can you be?

Al M. · Jul 15, 2024

Ron Resnick said:
I just watched the Bartok review. Cameron says many times variously the DAC sounds smooth and soft and overly smooth.

Cameron is giving his subjective sonic impression of the DAC. I don't know what dCS is exercised about.

(I am surprised anybody would accuse a dCS product of being overly smooth.)

I'm not sure either that I would call the dCS sound "smooth". I'd rather say it can be a bit polite (original Vivaldi DAC, no external Vivaldi reclocker).

DJJEZ · Jul 15, 2024

Absolutely shocking behavior from DCS, I can't see any way out for them apart from backing down...this is seriously going to hurt their image forever and they honestly deserve it. Going after a well known established reviewer because he didn't like their dac is ridiculous. Cameron just like everyone one else is entitled to their opinion of an audio product. They are salty as they are so used to not getting a positive glowing review like usual.

This needed to happen and i applaud cameron for taking the stance he has. Dcs needed to be exposed and called out so this will hopefully won't ever happen again in our hobby.

Argonaut · Jul 15, 2024

Ron Resnick said:
I just watched the Bartok review. Cameron says many times variously the DAC sounds smooth and soft and overly smooth.

*(I am surprised anybody would accuse a dCS product of being overly smooth).*

Which rather leaps off the page somewhat In an already bizarre scenario.

Synaxis · Jul 15, 2024

Al M. said:
The audience reach of GoldenSound (Cameron) is quite something. I was checking the viewer numbers of the video posted in the OP on YouTube. Two hours after posting it was 2.5 K views, now at 14 hours after posting it's 30 K views. You do the math, obviously the number of views only will greatly expand from there.

Talking about dCS hurting their own business. How dumb can you be?

He does have a great following. It was linked to many times in many places immediately upon it's posting which has helped (in a good way) promote the video globally.

The only thing worse than their actions (in my opinion) is that it's a 3 year old review AND (from how it appears in the video) Cameron explained to them repeatedly how they were mistaken and what he supposedly said that pissed them off was misrepresented. They didn't seem to care and instead snarked they are not his mommy.

IMO - it appears dCS was hell bent on going nuclear regardless of the facts if they were unable to bully and intimidate him.

orrman · Jul 15, 2024

dCS definitely lost any of my future business.
I had a chance to interact with Cam a few times and he's an honest and just a great guy. It should be so easy for companies to make better decisions on matters like this and to see brands just run into a wall like that is so confusing some times. The brand is worth so much more than a fight with a small independent reviewer about one very old video. Makes you question how they decide on much more important subjects and what drives the leadership there. Too bad.

Good luck to Goldensound, the audio community is and should be behind you.

Djcxxx · Jul 15, 2024

There are always two sides to a story but that is irrelevant. A major company chooses to make a controversy where none existed or was necessarry over a review of questionable significance to their business. Know when to walk away. a mature approaches social media strongly discourages.

Al M. · Jul 15, 2024

orrman said:
dCS definitely lost any of my future business.
I had a chance to interact with Cam a few times and he's an honest and just a great guy. It should be so easy for companies to make better decisions on matters like this and to see brands just run into a wall like that is so confusing some times. The brand is worth so much more than a fight with a small independent reviewer about one very old video. Makes you question how they decide on much more important subjects and what drives the leadership there. Too bad.

Good luck to Goldensound, the audio community is and should be behind you.

It's the arrogance in modern high-end audio, the same arrogance that leads to massive over-pricing of components.

Joe Whip · Jul 15, 2024

When it comes to dCS or at least the US side of dCS, I say that when someone tells you who they are, believe them. As a now retired trial lawyer who used to deal with stuff like this, the dCS approach is pure stupidity. Their reasons do not matter. The negative blow back is far worse than had they simply did nothing.

Zuman · Jul 15, 2024

Regardless of the core issue here, I find it interesting that Goldensound's and Stereophile's (Herb Reichert's) opinions on the Bartok are so divergent. Reichert stated of the Bartok "I had never before experienced so much natural-sounding micro-micro information. That new nanodata just rippled and sparkled as it charged the air between and behind the Zu speakers," which is about as far removed from Goldensound's "Smooth, Too Smooth" as one can possibly get.
I'm retired from the role of CEO of an organization that served more than a million people a year, and I understood early in my 45-year career that there is no such thing as universal preference in any area I've encountered. I wish that some audiophiles would welcome that rather than becoming so angry when someone feels differently than they do.

Russya · Jul 15, 2024

Is this the same John Giolas who worked at Wilson Audio? Hard to imagine there’s two guys by that name working in marketing in high end audio.

skids929 · Jul 15, 2024

Russya said:
Is this the same John Giolas who worked at Wilson Audio? Hard to imagine there’s two guys by that name working in marketing in high end audio.

Probably since a year or two ago there was an exodus of employees from DCS, so he might have filled a gap.

DCS threatening Goldensound..What an industry this is

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