Hi Big
An excellent post! I get concerned when folks come away from a trade show as if it was a listening experience of meaning and judgement. I think they're a good thing but for critical evaluation? Not so much.
I'm also concerned with some dealers of late. Posting with one yesterday I asked where their dedicated listening rooms were and they didn't know what I was talking about. A room full of speakers and components is not a dedicated listening room. In playback a dedicated listening room means that room is "dedicated" to that particular system and setup. It was like I was insulting them when I explained they didn't have any dedicated rooms for listening.
Sometimes I wonder if this HEA thing will make it past the next few years. Sure makes one appreciate having a real system in a real setup though, regardless of the spins the industry has created.
Michael Green