@jeffstrick I agree that the pulsars sounded really good....but for me, its hard to justify $9k unless you are really space limited and want the very best "affordable" sound...but even playing youtube videos, they sounded great.
@ecrotty one thing I heard both the Razz and the Rival do that I didn't hear in any any other room...when a guitar was plucked...especially a low string...you could hear and feel the snap...and you could hear the pick/fingernail against the windings of the string...really amazing...and zero harshness. I could live with these!
As for the show itself....unlike prior years, there didn't seem to be a contest as to who could have the loudest room...as a result, almost every room sounded good and more than a few sounded great....and, my opinion...the loudest rooms (90-100db) sounded the worst probably because the rooms can't handle extreme volume without totally messing up the top end and the bass.
The Eminence Technology room pretty much showed that you could get $75k worth of speakers/amplifiers sound for $15k from Bruce's prototypes on display...but customizable if desired with bigger panels, larger bass drivers, etc.
The Orchard room showed that you can get great sound from class d for not a lot of money and since the Stereo Ultra amp was paired with $2200 Soundfield audio speakers...Holy Cow
Andrew Jones...the man...was an absolute treat and I'm really glad to have been in that great sounding room when he was there and willing to answer darn near any question asked of him...with a bunch of humorous anecdotes thrown in.
Two more comments...loved the big Focals in room 716? paired with the min fridge size Focal amps.
And for those with an infinite budget...Borresen and MBL thank you.