Best Sounding Room at the HE 2006 Show?

I was on more of a parts/music hunt but Usher impressed me with some $750 speakers. Little light on the bass, (bookshelves) but nonetheless good musicality. Reminded me of ACI's Saphire line but with even more value.
Michael

$750? I thought they were $700. Either way, I thought they were remarkable.

Kal

Another thumbs up for Usher. Great stuff especially for the $$.

Did anyone stop by the Studio Electric room ? I was very impressed with the Nautilus-looking Studio Electric Type One/XLR-8 combo.

I didn't make it into the Lamm or Wilson rooms due to industry crowds, but for me, Acoustic Image's room had some of the most original and best sound. Elliot was using $40k ESP Concert Grand SI line array speakers(15 drivers per speaker, 90dB) that sound exactly like large planars, but seriously deep and powerful bass. Amplification was $35k Wavestream monoblock monsters and front end was a ~$25k Brinkman LaGrange TT, Brinkamn tonearm, Brinkman phono, into a $16k Messenger preamp. Of course, at price it better knock your socks off.

I'd also put Brooks Berdan's room in a best sounding room for live jazz and classical. Also, it was the most balanced sound overall. Of course, that's what Brooks is famous for (besides TT setup). I walked in as a live jazz track ended with crowd applause and the room sounded like a jazz club five times the size.

Best rooms for rock, alternative, and anything not classical, jazz, or smooth jazz female vocals were both surprisingly high efficiency - Zu's Definitions(101dB) and Global Acoustics' Austrian WLM Lyra speakers(98dB) w/ Duo 16" subwoofer. Most high-eff wideband single-driver systems fall apart slamming rock, but of these stayed rich and meaty in big way. We sent the Diana Krall/Norah Jones "audiophiles" running for their lives several times.

Zu was using Audiopax 88 monoblocks and Global had impessive 40 watt Audio Aero 813 SET amps and a Brinkman TT.

I think your right about the $700 I should have had them play some of the music I bought. Either way I will definetly pay more attention to their line in the future.
I heard the ZU stuff in Vegas and thought it was pretty good, although I also was tired of Nora et al and the music played was a refreshing change of pace.