Strateahed,
I attended the California Audio Show and, except for the A Capella room, did not hear much music that would satisfy me in the long run. I go to trade shows for the total experience; unfortunately, really good music is not always a part of it. However, almost always there are a few exhibits that deliver good music, too. If this show returns next year, I will go again.
It seems to me that your observation about the sound quality is true generally for all of the shows I have attended. I think the source of the problem lies in the hotel rooms as well as in the equipment set-up. Typically the rooms are small boxes with a lot of reflective surfaces and little room remediation treatment. Under the best conditions, it's hard to make a system sound coherent, transparent, balanced, etc. Trade shows do not provide the best conditions.
I attended the California Audio Show and, except for the A Capella room, did not hear much music that would satisfy me in the long run. I go to trade shows for the total experience; unfortunately, really good music is not always a part of it. However, almost always there are a few exhibits that deliver good music, too. If this show returns next year, I will go again.
It seems to me that your observation about the sound quality is true generally for all of the shows I have attended. I think the source of the problem lies in the hotel rooms as well as in the equipment set-up. Typically the rooms are small boxes with a lot of reflective surfaces and little room remediation treatment. Under the best conditions, it's hard to make a system sound coherent, transparent, balanced, etc. Trade shows do not provide the best conditions.