diff --git a/src/cxon/lang/common/cio/char.hxx b/src/cxon/lang/common/cio/char.hxx
index d1673ccc..bad39de9 100644
--- a/src/cxon/lang/common/cio/char.hxx
+++ b/src/cxon/lang/common/cio/char.hxx
@@ -451,9 +451,11 @@ namespace cxon { namespace cio { namespace chr {
                             default  :  return poke<X>(o, c, cx);
                         }
                     }
+                template <typename Y = X>
+                    static constexpr bool use_simd_() { return CXON_USE_SIMD && !Y::produce_strict_javascript; }
                 template <typename O, typename Cx, typename Y = X>
                     static auto range(O& o, const char* f, const char* l, Cx& cx)
-                        -> enable_if_t<( is_unquoted_key_context<X>::value || !Y::assume_no_escapes) && (!CXON_USE_SIMD ||  Y::produce_strict_javascript), bool>
+                        -> enable_if_t<( is_unquoted_key_context<X>::value || !Y::assume_no_escapes) && !use_simd_<Y>(), bool>
                     {
                         char const* a = f;
                         for ( ; f != l; ++f) {
@@ -492,50 +494,54 @@ namespace cxon { namespace cio { namespace chr {
                     }
                 template <typename O, typename Cx, typename Y = X>
                     static auto range(O& o, const char* f, const char* l, Cx& cx)
-                        -> enable_if_t<( is_unquoted_key_context<X>::value || !Y::assume_no_escapes) && ( CXON_USE_SIMD && !Y::produce_strict_javascript), bool>
+                        -> enable_if_t<( is_unquoted_key_context<X>::value || !Y::assume_no_escapes) &&  use_simd_<Y>(), bool>
                     {
-                        char const *a = f;
-
-                        __m128i const v1 = _mm_set1_epi8('"');
-                        __m128i const v2 = _mm_set1_epi8('\\');
-                        __m128i const v3 = _mm_set1_epi8(0x1F);
-                        std::size_t n = l - f;
-                        while (n >= 16) {
-                            __m128i r0 = _mm_loadu_si128((__m128i const*)f);
-                            __m128i r1 = _mm_cmpeq_epi8(r0, v1);
-                            __m128i r2 = _mm_cmpeq_epi8(r0, v2);
-                            __m128i r3 = _mm_cmpeq_epi8(_mm_min_epu8(r0, v3), r0);
-                            __m128i r4 = _mm_or_si128(_mm_or_si128(r1, r2), r3);
-                            if (int r = _mm_movemask_epi8(r4)) {
-                                int e = ffs(r);
-                                if (a != (f += e) && !poke<Y>(o, a, f, cx))   return false;
-                                a = f;
-                                for (auto* k = f + 16 - e; f != k; ++f, ++e) {
-                                    if ((1 << e) & r) {
-                                        if (a != f && !poke<Y>(o, a, f, cx))    return false;
-                                        if (!value(o, *f, cx))                  return false;
-                                        a = f + 1;
+#                       if CXON_USE_SIMD
+                            char const *a = f;
+
+                            __m128i const v1 = _mm_set1_epi8('"');
+                            __m128i const v2 = _mm_set1_epi8('\\');
+                            __m128i const v3 = _mm_set1_epi8(0x1F);
+                            std::size_t n = l - f;
+                            while (n >= 16) {
+                                __m128i r0 = _mm_loadu_si128((__m128i const*)f);
+                                __m128i r1 = _mm_cmpeq_epi8(r0, v1);
+                                __m128i r2 = _mm_cmpeq_epi8(r0, v2);
+                                __m128i r3 = _mm_cmpeq_epi8(_mm_min_epu8(r0, v3), r0);
+                                __m128i r4 = _mm_or_si128(_mm_or_si128(r1, r2), r3);
+                                if (int r = _mm_movemask_epi8(r4)) {
+                                    int e = ffs(r);
+                                    if (a != (f += e) && !poke<Y>(o, a, f, cx))   return false;
+                                    a = f;
+                                    for (auto* k = f + 16 - e; f != k; ++f, ++e) {
+                                        if ((1 << e) & r) {
+                                            if (a != f && !poke<Y>(o, a, f, cx))    return false;
+                                            if (!value(o, *f, cx))                  return false;
+                                            a = f + 1;
+                                        }
                                     }
+                                    if (a != f && !poke<Y>(o, a, f, cx)) return false;
+                                    a = f, f -= 16;
                                 }
-                                if (a != f && !poke<Y>(o, a, f, cx)) return false;
-                                a = f, f -= 16;
+                                f += 16, n -= 16;
+                            }
+                            if (a != f) {
+                                if (!poke<Y>(o, a, f, cx)) return false;
+                                a = f;
                             }
-                            f += 16, n -= 16;
-                        }
-                        if (a != f) {
-                            if (!poke<Y>(o, a, f, cx)) return false;
-                            a = f;
-                        }
 
-                        for ( ; f != l; ++f) {
-                            if (should_escape_<Y>(*f)) {
-                                if (a != f && !poke<Y>(o, a, f, cx))    return false;
-                                if (!value(o, *f, cx))                  return false;
-                                a = f + 1;
+                            for ( ; f != l; ++f) {
+                                if (should_escape_<Y>(*f)) {
+                                    if (a != f && !poke<Y>(o, a, f, cx))    return false;
+                                    if (!value(o, *f, cx))                  return false;
+                                    a = f + 1;
+                                }
                             }
-                        }
 
-                        return a == f || poke<Y>(o, a, f, cx);
+                            return a == f || poke<Y>(o, a, f, cx);
+#                       else
+                            return cx/X::read_error::unexpected;
+#                       endif
                     }
                 template <typename O, typename Cx, typename Y = X>
                     static auto range(O& o, const char* f, const char* l, Cx& cx)