Hotel Room Confessions - Best Sound at a Show?

PS - I don't claim my gear or room is all that great, but better than just about every hotel room I've ever listened in. :) So, low bar.

A few years ago, I heard a system that was put together by Randy Cooley, owner of Optimal Enchantment in Santa Monica, California. It consisted of the most expensive Vandersteen speakers, big mono amps from ARC and all of ARC’s reference goodies. Randy knows his music and has impeccable taste in music.

The sound in that room was the closest to live that I’ve ever heard in the show environment. I’ve attended many shows over the years, and even worked rooms for a high-end dealer at several CES’s over the years.  

Other than that, I totally agree with erik_squires.

Very few rooms (maybe a couple) at the shows I’ve attended have me feeling that I’m missing anything at all when I get home and turn the system on. After hearing Randy Cooley's system, it became my benchmark. I made it my goal to get as close as possible to the sound of that system. With all of the tweaks I've done over the past few years, the system is right there, even surpassing what I heard in Randy's room in certain areas. 

Frank

I posted a review of the Toronto show in this thread:
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/audio-show

Honestly, I can't say that line arrays were noticeably better, and certainly I did not make any notes on them. Not many rooms running subs, so difficult to come to a conclusion, but though bass was no doubt impacted, I don't think that was the primary fault in most rooms. 

These threads make Audiogon so cool.