First impressions:

Tubes and turntables everywhere! Yes, digital and ss suck (and have sucked from the very beginning). Now the high end seems to accept this manifest fact.

Worst sound: again the MBL room ran away with the award for the worst sound: 1,000 watt ss amps, inefficient speakers, and digital sources. Pure crap!

Electrocompaniet room: using analogue tape as a source, their system was impressive: detailed and effortless. The system was not cheap, except for the tape deck (under $1,000).

Music Lovers (Wilson room): Better than last year, but not my cup of tea. I got them to play a 45 vinyl record of the stupendous "Adagio d'Albinoni" record (Gary Karr on double-bass and Harmon Lewis on organ), and the sound fell short of what I hear via either my Fulton J or Dunlavy SCIV speakers. The organ sound was wimpy. The double bass lacked impact, and the organ did NOT fill the room. No goosebumps here! In contrast, the same record via the Teresonic $15,000 speaker was amazing at the 2010 CAS.

Magico: When they were playing vinyl, the room was full, and everything sounded great (except for the reticent bass which seems to be a constant in all Magico speakers).

Music Lovers (Vivid room): I preferred this room to the more expensive Music Lovers room. Still not cheap, but I was very impressed by several vinyl tracks (from Dead can Dance and Chet Baker). A relaxed, dynamic sound.

Kef room: Very good, but not great. Sound lacked dynamics on my Chet vinyl.

Audio Space: OK, RGA was right, and I was wrong about this company. Using a $4,000 integrated 300b amp (the Reference 3.1) and their version of the LS-3/5A speaker (with sub-woofer), the sound was simply amazing: clear, detailed, dynamic (!), and tonally correct. For those of limited means, these are a must listen.

Zu Audio: I liked nothing about this room: harsh, brash, and lacking in micro-dynamics. Not as bad as the MLB room, so there is that.

Focal room: Very impressive sound via their $32,500 Scala Utopia speaker and analogue tapes. Effortless, clear, and tonally accurate. Perhaps the bass could have been tighter (but, yes, here I am being very picky). Not only have turntables made a comeback, but so too have analogue tape decks!!!

Audio Note: Finally they brought a tt! However, the vinyl I got them to play (a cut from the "Chet" record), was very good, but not great. A trumpet, heard live, has tremendous impact. Here, Chet's trumpet was too restrained. Ditto for Pepper Adams's baritone sax. A sax, recorded properly, and played back through a top notch system, has fantastic punch and body. This record sounded better via the Teresonic, Acapella, and Magico speakers (and, yes, via either my Fulton Js or my Dunlavy SCIVs).

Tad: A complete failure. I expected to be impressed, but the sound was average at best! Perhaps the system was not set up properly.

Sonist/deHavilland: Now that's what I'm talking about!!! Effortless, detailed, dynamic (both micro and macro), tonally accurate, and just plain BEAUTIFUL!!! Yes, via analogue tapes, using the wonderful Kara Chaffee model 222 vacuum tube magnetic tape playback preamp and the Mercury preamp and the KE-50A amp, the sound just melted my heart! A system that combined both accuracy and musicality!