For a number of years at T.H.E. Show there was a room run by "civilians" - a hotel suite taken out by a couple of guys from the Midwest somewhere, doctors, I think, who just wanted to have a good time. No manufacturer was involved, no one was trying to market anything in particular - they just came out with their own gear and their own record collections, and enjoyed people coming by their room during the show to listen to stuff, chat about music, and have some snacks & drinks.
I have occasionally wondered if it would be fun (and worth the expense) for a group of the more objectivist-minded folks to band together to mount such a room at T.H.E. Show or AXPONA etc. I'm imagining a 2-channel setup but using the principles that the collective wisdom here has arrived at - multiple subs with MSO running on a mini-DSP, bass management, digital room correction, a bog-standard AVR powering the system, some acoustic treatments, a pair of relatively inexpensive but known-to-be-good speakers (Revel F208 comes to mind, but there are many options here). Hide the gear, run the demos, and hand out little cards at the end with a description of the system and its total MSRP. We could have a really good time, not to mention a good shot at having the best-sounding room at the show.
I have occasionally wondered if it would be fun (and worth the expense) for a group of the more objectivist-minded folks to band together to mount such a room at T.H.E. Show or AXPONA etc. I'm imagining a 2-channel setup but using the principles that the collective wisdom here has arrived at - multiple subs with MSO running on a mini-DSP, bass management, digital room correction, a bog-standard AVR powering the system, some acoustic treatments, a pair of relatively inexpensive but known-to-be-good speakers (Revel F208 comes to mind, but there are many options here). Hide the gear, run the demos, and hand out little cards at the end with a description of the system and its total MSRP. We could have a really good time, not to mention a good shot at having the best-sounding room at the show.