Oh yes, I quite agree with you Mark. Chord demos are notoriously bad - not helped by them using Wilson Benesch speakers which I don't like and think are a very poor match.
I only fell on Chord when I borrowed an SPM-1200C from Audio T in Reading some 14 or so years ago, not expecting much. When I got it home and tried it with my JM Lab Mezzo Utopias (my speakers at the time), it was a revelation: potent, great soundstage, fine detail and just totally honest to the signal. That was the start of my love affair with Chord power amps that remains to this day. But it's no thanks to Chord's own demos