If you read the blog post on JDS website it explains most of it not all of the design decisions and trades offs they made, including the transformer wall wart. Cambridge products are made in China. This is a US based company that uses US suppliers and has excellent customer service.
People are upset that you have to have Internet to use the CORE software, but I am guessing 90% of JDS customers are using a streaming service for music, so as Joey once said...it's a moo point.
I don't know why more people don't talk about the encoder volume control that offers perfect channel matching down to zero volume. If you do any low volume late night listening in bed next to your significant other this is a great benefit over a traditional potentiometer.
There is more and I'm kind of addressing multiple posts, but $500 is a great deal for all this is and for who is making it and where.