CNX2 vs ACR

I just finished a similar comparison and concluded that I would stick with LR4. I agree that the *default* settings of cnx2 provide a better image (to my eyes) compared to LR4. In particular, the colors and skin tones seemed to be slightly better by default from cnx2. However, I found that there was virtually no photo that was ok without further adjustment from either program. With just a little while balance adjustment and vibrancy increase in LR4, I found the image quality roughly equal. Instead of switching to cnx2, I created a custom preset that is applied when I import into LR4. This gives a better starting point and negates the advantages of cnx2. If I need the features of cnx2, there's nothing stopping me from using it when needed. In addition, I found LR4's noise reduction to be superior.