But they listened in show conditions, which in my experience makes it impossible to draw any meaningful conclusions on things like amp/headphone pairings.
Shows are great to get a really baseline idea of what a headphone generally sounds like. Especially closed back headphones and IEMs. Beyond that, I wouldn't put much faith in show-based impressions, no matter how experienced the listener may be. Stuff like soundstage, amp/DAC synergy, dynamics, are all too specific to discern in a loud crowded space with limited listening time.
Don't get me wrong, I love reading threads about show impressions, but I know they are realistically more about build quality, appearance, and very general performance characteristics, rather than specifics.