Your post is a little confusing. Who was it that you consulted that offered these contradictory observations? I ask in order to establish a benchmark for a coherent reply. I offer some short observations from a distance since I did not attend the show. The designers have extensive experience with each piece so naturally their hearing is prepped to that sound. Observers would need at the least to be sure they experienced the equipment in a similar fashion; placement/music/crowds etc. What did you find to be the most glaring or obvious difference of opinion? What were your expectations upon attending the show? Are you discussing opinions that reflect incremental differences or is there a huge gap between what you heard and that of your sources for these discrepencies? These questions attack the root of perception in a show setting and should be addressed before any assumptions of quality are made. While these designs are unique to the designer they are known to be of good and repeatable competence. Speaking to the loudspeakers on display the Iconic's/Dr. Gedde's offering/The Pi's etc. are all based on good engineering and known by reasonable audiophiles to reproduce music very well. While you may prefer one over another they all exhibit excellent sound. So what would you need to hear that would satisfy your personal requirements that you didn't hear? I am not challenging your opinion; this subject interest's me.