A DAC that crushes price vs. performance ratio

I have no doubt that it is indeed a good piece.... BUT .....my skepticism and resulting resistance for any reliance on such a review for me on this mag review is profound.

(1) Since everything in this crazy hobby is built to a level commensurate with its price-point, I have never yet seen ANY $2K DAC match -- much less "crush" -- a $10K-$12K DAC....full stop. And I’ve attended numerous audio fest paloozas with their A-B bake-offs and comparison shootouts.

(2) This particular mag review is a very select and restricted comparison sample of just three "reference level " (an ill-defined term...) DACs. Since it’s been around since 2014 ... a significant wave of new and technologically improved contenders and pretenders have been ignored. If is indeed the Goliath-killer purported in THIS review (note: Terry London is a staff writer and not independent in its purist form) then why (as just one example among the many) ...do other mags ignore it in their "Best Buys" published lists?
e,g:https://www.whathifi.com/best-buys/hi-fi/best-dacs/2#section-under-1500

(3) Reviewer comments such as this posted article term of "crushes" is an exaggerated value judgement and a heavily biased personal opinion at best, and flat-out hyperbole at worst. Challengeable extremes such as this term should be avoided.

There are other reviews out there that present a much more balanced opinion such as:
https://www.monoandstereo.com/2013/04/lab12-dac1-special-edition-test-and.html

There is a recent prior FYI smoke signal post on AGON that precedes you
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/lab-12-dac1-special-edition

I read the major mag reviews for new equipment news and technological improvements, but I always do an in-store or audio fest demo at a minimum; and preferably an in-home audition before a purchase...the mag review is just a first a pedantic first step in the long Yellow Brick Road to Audio Oz.

Audio-GD Master 7 at $2400 is as good if not better then any +$10000 dac I have ever heard. Even more shocking is I am enjoying the LitedacAH as much as my Master 7 and this dac is under $200. Both of these dacs are based on old multibit chips and the master 7 is a R2R dac Both are operating NOS with no digital filters
Alan

@akg_ca
Really ?
WTF ? Dude.
At least hear it before you comment on anyone else’s review of it .I doubt you will find any other reviews of any equipment comparing it to more than 3 other pieces. Why do you consider the comparisons to be selective and restrictive ? 

@grey9hound +1
Sounds like someone got out of bed on the wrong side.

I find it extremely odd that a reviewer for a magazine, even an e-zine, would find it necessary or ethically appropriate to "push" a piece of equipment he reviewed--along, of course, with "pushing" the review itself. Many similar boards would not tolerate this.

This is not at all a comment on the component under review; I had never heard of it before.  Moreover I am an advocate of small foreign companies that are pushing the boundaries of performance/price ratios especially in the digital arena.  But the reviewer does his component no favor by making it appear that something "fishy" is going on.