I wanted to give the vendors and their advertising agencies lots of
points for professionalism and performance even though many of the
products were sonic crap. But a few bright spots aside, this was a
very dreary show. Can we say same-old, same-old?

That's the sad reality. Unlike cars and computers, audio and
music maybe has a major change once every decade. The times
imbetween are glacially slow and dull. Add a channel here,
try some different crossover there(which someone already probably
tried a decade before, and a decade before, and...). The last time
I went to NAAM, it was simmilar, though the sales people there were
all top-notch and notivated. Lots of crap with a few gems here and
there.(like the new Mason & Hamlin pianos - finally as good again
as the ones that made them famous nearly a centruy ago.)

Also, the audio areas at NAAM probably had half of the same
makers there as at your show - and 90% of it sounded dreadful,
considering the price.