Manufacturer threatens lawsuit over negative review 

dCS' update and apology: dcs.community/t/goldensound-headphones-com-dcs-an-update/6740 I am pleased that this whole situation has come to an end. I'm looking forward to visiting dCS next week, and for now the most important thing I ask is that people refrain from giving anyone at dCS a hard time. Particularly at CanJam this weekend. The individual involved is no longer with the company, and I do not want anyone to be directing further messages their way nor giving any sort of hardship to employees who had nothing to do with this situation in the first place. However, I would also like to sincerely thank everyone in the community for their support the past few days

I just learned two things today: 1. dCS is a company. 2. I will never buy a product from dCS.

This silliness is going to be a lot more damaging to their business than any bad review.

Cameron, I have 35 years of high profile litigation experience in the defamation area and I’ll defend you for free if they sued. Tell DCS to pound sand.

As a CFO of a company using dCS products for about a decade, and replacing them every 2 years, within our supply to the audio recording branch, after this we'll be choosing to spend our $300K annually elsewhere. Thank you for this snippet of information of a toxic manufacturer. And well done! :D

I've always appreciated your approach and mission. If you need any help, we are here for you. Step one is getting the word out on our news shows this week. Step two is whatever it takes to help ensure the ongoing success of independent tech media. I believe your team is in contact with mine. Let me know the second you need anything - LS

"dCS welcomes reviews of its products that are honest and accurate" - proceeds to sue a reviewer who was being honest and accurate

I never really knew much about dCS before clicking on this video. Now I know that I'll never buy a dCS product, ever. Good job, dCS. Your lawsuit damaged your reputation far more badly than a bad review ever would have.

That bit about not being your mommy or your therapist absolutely reveals how unprofessional, hotheaded, and juvenile this person at DCS is. That's just despicable. Props to you for posting this. Can't say I'm going to buy anything DCS after this. Bullies.

I cannot thank Andrew and Cameron enough for bringing this to light. It is always a concern when an independent opinion, be it my own or my fellow reviewers, is met with consequences and threats such as these. This hobby is relatively small and there is no room for vindictive behavior from manufacturers and it should not be supported. DCS is Challenging a man with incredible insights, fact checked, Community support, and well-spoken commentary in the space. We all saw how well that worked out for MQA.

Be sure to report dCS to the FTC for violating the Consumer Review Fairness Act.

Well, RIP dCS. I'm honestly surprised how some companies still seem clueless to the fact that this type of infantile, bullying behavior does WAY WAY WAY more damage to their reputation, and undoubtedly, their bottom line than any negative review could possibly do. Even if the review in question was littered with inaccuracies and misinformation (which it clearly was not), this type of blind hostility by the company still causes a huge self-inflicted wound. Glad you all parted ways with them. Now let's please never utter their name again. Cheers.

It is good to see the apology by dCS and that this matter is either now resolved or will be shortly. That said, as an attorney with over 35 years experience, I am distressed to see unacceptable legal jackassery in the apology text. No business, whether it be a lemonade stand or a multibillion corporation, should ever issue a statement along the lines of regretting, or in this case apologizing, for “any” distress or inconvenience. That’s nothing but ass-covering, passive aggressive bullshit. These statements, if they are to mean anything at all, should clearly apologize for THE distress or inconvenience. They should be issued as an acknowledgment and confirmation that inconvenience or distress HAS occurred. Now, this statement has been issued and there’s no point in going back to have it revised. But if you own a company, don’t step in your own shit but issuing statements that apologize for “any” inconvenience. The inconvenience or distress has occurred, and your apology is both worthless and insulting if it is written to press a presumption that it has not.

I just cancelled my DCS Lina headphone amp order. No way am I giving my dollars to such a bunch of arseholes.

DCS. Not my mommy. Not my therapist. Not my stack.

I replied to Cameron's video on his channel but will reply here as well... Having gone through this recently with a speaker manufacturer I have to provide my deepest empathy here. This is an extremely stressful situation. Even when you know you're 100% in the right it is still tough to go through. In my case the entire community stood up and had my back. It looks like you are getting the same results here. Two things: 1) Manufacturers must learn that all reviewers aren't for sale. The audio review space isn't what it was 2 years ago when *so many* were shilling and getting paid under the table. Reviews can't be bought and paid for. Transparency has always been an issue in this space but with more objective means this is really putting a light on the dark side of the industry. The consumer is also getting wise to this and these kinds of actions only sour us on specific brands that respond with this disgusting, childlike behavior. 2) Manufacturers also need to learn that when you have concerns or disagreements with a review this is not the way to address those concerns. Threatening, belittling... and then expecting reviewers to cower down when they've shown nothing wrong (never mind malicious in intent). 2b) IMHHO, the gentleman you've spoken with at DCS should be fired. And the CEO should step in and offer a public apology for that doofus' actions. That one man has done far, *far* more damage to the company's brand than any single review could have ever done. As a "VP of Marketing," he's a liability to the brand at this point. If you have to start a gofundme to cover legal costs then I'm in to help as much as I can. - Erin

I'm betting DCS has bullied many reviewers into taking down negative reviews, and so they expected Cameron to do the same

Thanks for making this video. I just wanted to let you know that RU-vid actually has a "corrections" feature for exactly this purpose, though it's very poorly documented. I only just learned about it myself a few days ago. In the description, put "Correction:" or "Corrections:". Then, on the next line, mention a timestamp and the correction. Put each correction on its own line. For example: Corrections: 0:00 This part is actually this 2:56 I said x but meant y These must appear AFTER any chapters (so it's best to put them at the END of the description). You can find the documentation by googling for "RU-vid corrections" but honestly the actual docs are less clear than what I just wrote above. Thanks again for your in-depth and honest reviews.

Well...I've never seen your videos, Cameron, but after what happened to my buddy Erin, I know how much stress this kind of situation can cause. I'm glad you created this video as it is the right thing to do. As an equipment reviewer, it is important that we are able to operate without the threat of litigation. If a company makes a bad product, and it gets a bad review, it's on them not the reviewer. Since audio is filled with subjectivity, I'm sure many companies have gotten away with sub par products due to the fact that objective data could not be gathered about the product. But we are in a different paradigm now. We can objectively test the piece of audio gear and the data can speak for itself. I just watched a video of yours about the WA23 tube amp. Wow! Super detailed review with great production quality. Nice work, and good luck with this situation.

Hi dCS, I'm a comic creator who spends hours and hours a day sitting at my desk doing art and listening to headphones. What discretionary income I have, I save to buy audio equipment for my desk. I always dreamed of being able to save up and buy your products one day. However, thanks to this fiasco, you lost a customer for life. I think you vastly underestimated how much content creators influence the purchase decisions and culture of various hobbies.

Good to know that I should never look at anything from dCS....

Interesting that an audio product company, dCS, and another "DCS", Deep Cycle Systems, are seeking SLAPP lawsuits against real-world reviews. At least this dCS is not falsifying warranty data on their website. Fascinating.

I will never purchase a DCS product. Thank you for letting us know about this malicious behavior. It instills absolutely no trust in their ability to provide customer support for me, who would be a regular buyer

"I am neither your mommy nor your therapist" - in what world is this type of wording acceptable? Nevermind the fact that they are literally the VP of "Sales and Marketing", that stuff would be nasty coming from any company representative. Speaks volumes of the type of company that dCS is.

The irony of getting sued over a criminally overpriced product.

I once used/recommended Yelp often. Then, I wrote a, negative but honest review regarding a business. Yelp kept removing the post. I don't use Yelp anymore because of this and tell my story as often as possible. Being a bartender, I've told my story many times. Consumers have the control and every manufacturer/company needs to remember this. Good job not taking pressure from dCS.

I think it's important to appreciate how kind dCS have been through this, their competitors couldn't have asked for a more vicious attack on the dCS brand than the one dCS themselves have spent two years conducting.

Lawyer here. Based on the facts here, DCS has little chance of success if they proceed to litigation. Absent actual malice and intentional misrepresentation, an honest review is not actionable. The delay is also problematic for them. In addition, there is now no way I would consider a DCS product. Whomever is in charge of DCS’s communications has really messed up here.

Life long audiophile here. Currently in an upgrade cycle at considerable expense. DCS were short listed. They aren't any more.

I call absolute bullshit, there is no way this clown didn't know what was being communicated, they're just back-tracking in ass-covering fashion in an attempt to mitigate the community backlash. A bad review will make me avoid a product, but I don't tolerate any kind of corporate bullying. I'd never heard of DCS before today, but the details of this story have convinced me to place them on my "not ever" list of companies.

Interesting how dCS (Data Conversion Systems Ltd in UK) and DCS (Deep Cycle Systems in Australia) both threatened litigation against RU-vid reviewers and both got exposed at around the same time.

Frick me, I've had a couple of brands ask me if I could take down reviews but never had one threaten me with legal action.

Cameron handled this professionally, dCs did not. Congrats John, you will never see my business. Ever. You really did a great job at taking care of the company that you love by acting like a child.

Incoming several years of "did DCS threaten you to make a positive review" on every audio reviewer's channel and website even if they back down from this threat.

It is really refreshing to see not just a boss but a CEO of a company stick up for an employee and member of their workforce. In this day and age too many times do you see profit and reputation stand before values and morales. Respect.

There is noway this was a rogue VP of sales and marketing. The DCS hierachy set the lawyers on you not one man. These things have to be approved and paid for by the company's internal legal department and signed off by upper management.

The Streisand effect is very real and this is going to bring exponentially more negative feedback towards dCS than a review on something as obscure as a high-end DAC ever would. A mind boggling decision from them. Hopefully you can easily win this and recover any damages suffered.

This is a very bad look for dCS.... Very bad... Not a brand I want to support if this is how they conduct themselves... With this action they will cause a LOOOOOT more damage to their brand than that review ever did... I am not buying their DACs anymore. Good job dCS.

Regardless of the apology, I can’t believe someone from the manufacturer said I’m not your mommy. How is that professional? I would love for Louis Rossmann and Fake Review Watch to provide their opinion on this issue.

I am now wary of a company I did not even know existed an hour ago, good job Barbara.

dCS just cancelled itself...

dCS woke up one day and thought "Wow it's a beautiful day for some rake-stepping" and absolutely made a clown of themselves.

Thanks for posting this. dCS customer support interactions are quite challenging as well. Apology or not, after watching this video, I'll never buy a dCS product again. Thanks for sharing 🔆

Standing up for the consumer and giving honest REAL opinions and measurements, is incredibly highly respected nowadays - corporations are used to being able to literally RIP consumers off without contestation. Once you can quantify audio 'performance' and seperate it from 'personal taste' is the end of folk like AudioQuimples - thank you so much to Amir.

Wow, the level of pettiness a company needs to be at in order to sue over a review. I never tried a dCS product, but I will forever assume they are sub-par. The only reason you'd sue over a review is because you are not confident in your product to begin with.

If Grado has never threatened to sue someone over a negative review, no company should ever even think about it.

It's a shame to see DCS fail and go out of business this way. No dignity. I wonder if they will demand I take my review down of their DAC?

My personal response: NEVER, EVER buying anything from DCS.

Suing a reviewer over a 2.5 year old review? Seriously? So they're not concerned with losing customer goodwill and sales, along with the emnity of other reviewers. Wow, just - wow. Smh...

Just a note, despite this company's behavior towards Cameron and their approach to critical content, we absolutely DO NOT endorse the harassment of DCS employees of any kind. Remember that employees are not to blame for the behaviour of those calling the shots, and even then, there are ways to handle this that don't involve vitriolic words/actions. So please treat everyone with respect, whether it's in person at shows or online and on social media.

After researching dcs's apology I'm thankful they woke up to the situation, but allowing something like this to occur in the first place is exceedingly negligent. Would they be singing the same tune had they gotten away with this criminal behavior or would they have continued to bully honest reviewers? I'm inclined to believe they turned around after realizing how damaging this publicity was and not because they wanted to. Still on my blacklist.

That's genuinely despicable conduct from dCS. You'd think it took a majority of board executives to authorise a lawsuit, especially when the financial implications for a small company or individual alone are enough to force compliance from the plaintiff. Any company worth its salt would surely first invite a discussion about a negative review before deciding to take legal action over an honest negative review. While I'm not sorry that dCS may suffer a lot of fallout over this despite retracting the lawsuit, it's more than likely that those lower down will suffer than the executives approved the lawsuit.

Baffled that they thought this could possibly end well for them in this day and age. Absolutely ridiculous and unprofessional emotionally driven behaviour and phrasing on their part.If their 'reputation' is what they claim to be concerned about, this was probably the worst self-goal they could have committed. Do not release a product if you're not prepared to stand behind that product and handle criticism. Hope this works out in your favour, and the industry at large learns this is not how you do busyness if you want to retain your reputation.

dCS could make the best hardware in the world, but if this is how the company is going to act, they've lost my sale. Thanks for making this threat tactic public. dCS have dug their own grave here.

Being a small creator myself I feel that you guys went above and beyond to evaluate the product before writing a script and before filming. I am very sorry you have to go through this. Keep up the great work that you're doing

Here is the letter they should have written him: Dear Reviewer, Thank you for testing and submitting a report on our product. We are immediately going to address the issues you found within our battery systems. We look forward to correcting these issues and sending you a new battery to test in the near future. Our company is dedicated to producing the best battery systems globally and enthusiastically look forward to new product development that stand tall in real world scenarios. Thanks again for your time and effort. We look forward to working with you soon! Signed Qwner

dCS VP Sales and Marketing is demonstrating a serious lapse of judgment here, misunderstanding then misjudging the situation entirely. This person is an incredible liability to the dCS company and should be let go immediately, following an apology. Kudos to the Headphones Show CEO for prioritizing integrity over sales, this admirable choice lead to a really epic defense articulated in this video. It's obvious that dCS has absolutely no case whatsoever and wrongly assumed they could bully without consequences.

Funny enough, this threat has just shined a great beam of light at the review. I used to be a big fan of DCS. They are now officially boycotted. Ridiculous!

an Australian company also called DCS (Deep cycle systems) is suing another youtuber for a review also, the RU-vidr is AllOffroad 4x4 Adventures TV,

Never seen the show but the respect I have for this level of commitment to the public says TONS. Every seller is going to say good things about their products. Without HONEST reviews everyone would either waste money or not know what they are missing. Any company that threatens a lawsuits based on “loss of income” for a negative review should be exposed which in turn should cause a significant loss in income. I know I’ll never buy from this company.

The problem for a company is not that someone reviews a product poorly. The problem for the company is, when they design and manufacture a poor product. When will companies learn this? Dear dCS let me introduce you to the Streisand effect. I solely left this comment here to feed the algorithm. May this video be seen by millions.

Good for you guys setting firm boundaries against shitty business practices and supporting your creators over potential profits. Kudos.

"Both dCS and Cameron have reflected and accept that were technical elements in the review and our communications that both of us need to discuss fully and clear up for all." That was a non apology, no thanks. You don't word something putting the blame on the victim, especially after saying you signed off on a morally corrupt hit attempt through lawyers.

I've never heard of a DCS in my life. And now I never will. Thanks for the info.

They're selling 20k dacs and don't even know what theyre selling. Trash tier...

Awful. Really appreciate y’all taking a stand on this, helps us all. I have below zero respect for a company that behaves like that.

Hello "The Headphone Show" coming from "AllOffroad 4x4 Adventures" with a lawsuit from DCS ( LiFePo4 battery ) company from Australia lead me here, doing the exact same thing to the reviewer..... Seem to be a ongoing trend from companies to scare off reviewers doing a "negative" review of product. I would say in my own belief that you all are doing a review of product, with a sincere genuine commentary of the product with pros and cons of the product. Which I believe and always should be a viewer(s) ( person(s) ) own subjective opinion about the product, regarding any reviewers sincere comments about the product.

It comes down to ethics, one of two matters.: 1) When a company’s first reaction is to sue an honest reviewer that can show proof of his critiques rather than note the critiques to introspect and improve, that company is shady in its dealings. Their reaction suggests they have something to hide. Their reaction suggests we must deal harshly with reviewers in order to discourage others from discovering what we are hiding. 2) If this is over hurt egos, you are dealing with an unstable ego hiring the lawyers. In regard to someone in the company’s upper echelons whose ego is so fragile, so bruised over a leaked email thread, imagine how this telegraphs down to those who make warranty decisions and to those who distribute their product. How are they treated? If DCS maltreats a reviewer who has no contractual ties, how bad must it be for those who do have contractual ties?

DCS owes a public apology to this reviewer, his company, and the audiophile community. Certainly off my purchase list in the future.

10:50 "I'm neither your mommy nor your therapist." Oh dear. Looks like there is a personal grudge going on here. I am guessing John Giolas (VP of Sales and Marketing) is having a very bad day. Not a very professional way for an executive to conduct themselves.

Never put a hot head in a position where they have to correspond with customers, reviewers, or partners.

Cameron, you are an excellent reviewer, keep up your honest reviews. Everybody appreciate an honest detailed review of products they may be considering to buy! DCS has done themselves a major disservice, good luck for the future DCS, you are going to need it.

I know now which high end DAC I WON'T be aiming for in the future. You seem like a good kid Cam. Hang in there

Golden looks visibly stressed in this video. Wish him luck with this. 💛

crazy how there are two completely different dcs companies suing over negative reviews... one battery and one headphone

Trying to stifle a poor review is just shitty behaviour. A manufacturer should just suck it up. The way DCS have acted is more damaging to their reputation than any review could do.

Cameron doesn’t deserve such thing. He is a very meticulous, nuanced and trustful reviewer always opened to discussion. I am totally shocked by dCs behavior.

If only positive review is allowed, there is no point in reviewing any product.

Interesting thing, that algorithm... Ten minutes ago I didn't know about this channel, Golden's channel, dCS or the Bartok. Now I know about all of those things and one additional thing: If I ever come across a dCS product for any reason, in all likelihood I won't buy it.

DCS = Do not Criticise our Stuff. Or else.

This trend of companies and corporations bullying and harassing small creators and media outlets has to end. I hadn’t heard of DCS before and this is my first exposure to them but any interest in their products has evaporated before it could exist. If DCS reads this, know that your nonsense has lost many more potential customers than a bad review. You could have taken the feedback and made a better product - but this behavior is unforgivable.

My full support to The Headphones Show and Cameron.

I won’t be using dcs ever again. If they don’t want bad reviews, they should produce better quality items - not threaten reviewers! Absolutely shameful. You are right not to work with cretins as it would affect your brand and your integrity. Well done 👍

Random RU-vid browser here...came across this video 100% randomly on my feed. I did not see the original video and I have no idea what a dCS Bartok does, or who they are, but if I end up needing it, they are not getting my business. Can dCS sue themselves for statements that are defamatory to themselves made by themselves (?), because these conversations and passive aggressive statements did it for me.

Looks like DCS will never get a dime of my money due to poor behavior and vindictive heavy handed lawfare!

Bonkers, not unexpected considering half the audio industry is supported by snake oil. Saying you can't share a piece of information because it's "copyrighted" is absolutely bonkers.

If you can't criticize the product it's not a review, it's an advert.

I wish I could like this more than one time. You are on fire! I love how you approach this shitty situation the same way that you approach your reviews. Know that you have lots of support. Be strong, man. Let everybody know.

How can a VP of Marketing reply in such a manner? "I'm neither your mommy nor your therapist" WHAT?? They don't even know their products, talk about disconnection between marketing and R&D

Good for you guys, I support you. Incredibly unprofessional behaviour from them, saying 'i'm not your mummy' to a client, smh. This is business not a family group chat argument, act like it!

What a dirty company, i am speechless ...when they go to lenghts of saying/writting : "I" am Neither your mommy nor your therapist ". This is : - Very , very bad education and low standarts from that Someone at Dcs . -A huge lack of professionalism . -A demonstration of what a High end company at his worst may turn into. -A huge tantrum from a spoiled brat of a company (is what it seems) ,...the same company remind you that is saying to someone : I am neither your Mommy nor your therapist . Well,. i would say somebody at Dcs needs a Therapist for sure, and somebody needed a couple of claps from Mommy when at a young age ! What a disgrace , everything that an high end company (or not ) should not be !

I like how they’re using the guise of the reviews causing them reputation damage… to tank their reputation by suing.

I've had plenty of great experiences with dCS equipment and interacting with their staff at various events. That being said, threatening any subjective reviewer (especially one of the most educated, factually-accurate, and well-spoken RU-vid reviewers out there) with a lawsuit is the quickest route to being blacklisted by the very small audiophile community. If dCS will be "forced to exercise its remedies" I will be forced to never buy any more of their products. This really leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. For a "premium top of the line" manufacturer, they communicate as if they have no professionalism or understanding as to the caliber of their target audience.

DCS is about to file bankruptcy with that mistake. The company needs to issue a public apology and withdraw all threats.

Currently in the gradual process of building a home studio, purchasing various audio equipment. dCS is one company I'll be steering clear of for now dependant on how they handle this. Can't stand bully-boy companies throwing their weight around!

For those thinking this is all UK based, this threat is not. John Rees Law PLLC is representing dCS Americas LLC.

@GoldenSound and @TheHEADPHONEShow, thank you both for the transparency. Unfortunately, dramas over negative reviews are far more regular than they should be but this is taking it to the next level.

I just emailed dCS with the following, and I encourage others to do the same, because it's only when people show their opinions en masse do companies pay attention and ideally make positive corrections: "I just watched the video of your lawsuit threat against Cameron (GoldenSound) of The Headphone Show. Your actions are despicable and the audio community ought to rise up in protest against dCS by boycotting your products so that your dictatorial attitudes are not tolerated in a market that needs to remain free and fair!"

DCS would have no legal standing in such a suit. But anyone can sue anyone for anything and have their day in court. I was involved in a suit with a crazy lady who had absolutely no valid case but a female judge must have felt sorry for her as a single mother (of an over 18 year old boy) and gave the scumbag attorney every delay he asked for, for many years while he demanded a ridiculous payout to go away. After 7 years and nearly a million dollars to defend ourselves, the slime-ball attorney quit and since she had no case, the plaintiff could find no other attorney to take the case. These types threaten a suit knowing that the innocent party will have to hire an attorney to defend themselves at sometimes huge costs and then try to force an unholy settlement to go away. Our system is broken.

Funny. I had NO idea this channel existed, nor dCS prior to RU-vid recommending this video.