having an in-room reference (and a familiar reference room) is always critical in weighing feedback for value. as you mention; i've always had my Studer as a constant reference point for sources. it sets the bar high. as is my vinyl and Studer for the digital. and i compare my new tapes to my vinyl. some very touted expensive tapes yield to my vinyl. truth triumphs. the reality has no place to hide.
in the absence of references we are somewhat flapping in the wind, licking our fingers to see which way it's blowing, flowing along with the vibe of the room and our expectations. like at a show it's a data point. if i go to multiple shows, and hear something multiple times relative to other multiple examples, now we start to build a more valuable reference. but it still falls short of an in-room constant.
top flight turntables all can sound awesome, and elicit strong emotional pulls. a good thing, but should cause us to be cautious. we can observe how subtle the differences Tang hears between his turntables and arms and the time he has to spend getting a handle on those differences. if you were to pull any one single tt out of that room it would likely sound great in a demo room, and depending on the pressing (and even the presenter, and the gravity of the event) would be perceived as wonderful.
i wonder if we will see an AF1P and AF0 in the same demo system?
my guess is when it happens it will be far under the radar.
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