Jim or Swerd -
Was the Thai meal courtesy of Thai Basil in Chantilly? I know its a fair ways from Swerd's house, but it is well known across the country for having great Thai food (it was also featured on Food Network).
We ate Thai food at Benjarong
http://www.benjarongthairestaurant.com/, a place nearby the Glenview Mansion in Rockville.
I have to agree with the others who thought the room had a lot to do with the disappointing sound. It had very high ceilings, marble floors, and all the walls and ceilings were plaster. Not only was that room very large, it was empty of furniture. All those hard surfaces had an effect that I thought was quite different from the other rooms of the mansion, large or small, which had much lower ceilings, wooden floors, furnishings, and curtains.
I've heard Salk speakers including the SoundScapes in a variety of other rooms, and none of them were like the room at the Glenview mansion. That room had the ambiance more like a railroad station or a cathedral than any room in a private home.
So to respond to the person who voiced the lukewarm or unpopular opinions, I respect your impressions. I think you described what I heard too. But I urge you to listen to Salk speakers again under different conditions before you make those your settled opinions.