I'm pretty sure no one else lives in the NYC except for me, so I'd like to get some suggestions. Which brands are worth checking out during the meet? Any specific speakers to look out for? I'm definitely going to check out Kef and their LS50 if they have it there.

http://www.chestergroup.org/newyorkaudioshow/2014/brands

I will be there, just not sure which day.  I have gone for the past two years and these shows are fun IMO, but can be exhausting. Just leave yourself enough time and try to check out as much as possible. The feel of these audio shows is very different than say a Head-Fi meet-up.  Think high-end car show, but with audio equipment substituted for cars.  Except for headphones and accessories, much of the audio gear is out of budget of the budget of most mortals. Lots of high six-figure setups. Fun to hear but I come away without hearing much I could afford to buy even if I were interested. 

The crowd can be mixed, but there is a fair amount of pretentiousness if you eavesdrop carefully with people saying how much such and such uber system sucks compared to their own mondo six-figure setup and how obviously better DAC A from setup 1 on floor 2 in room 100 is compared to DAC B from setup 10 on floor 3 in room 200, ignoring that all other variables are different. You just need to filter that stuff out and enjoy. By contrast the people at HF meets are generally IMO way more cool (also they are enthusiasts taking great pains and risks to bring their own high-end gear to share with strangers, whereas the audio show is all vendors). 

Let me know when you are going and maybe we can meet up.

I was planning on going Sunday but have to go to a retirement party for a friend.
I may go sat afternoon after work but that will only give me a couple of hours at the show.

Okay, seems like we do have a few new yorkers here then

I get out of class at 2:30 on Friday and it's going to take me at least an hour to get to the show. I plan on going Saturday if I have the time, but definitely Sunday.

Thanks for the suggestions, Dave!

I'd give Joseph, Legacy, and NOLA a listen. Also, assuming they are there, Vapor Sound, Fritz, Odyssey, and Daedalus. I'm not sure what they are bringing, but I would also check out the Soundsmith monitors if they have them there. Supposedly very nice, but I haven't had the chance to hear them yet myself.

The prime challengers to the LS50 though would be Ascend' Sierra 2 and Odyssey's Epiphany IV. Fritz also has models in that price range, but I would be too tempted by the Carbon 7SE or Rev 7.

I went this afternoon and liked the Joseph and NOLA speakers I heard. Thanks or the heads up on those.

That was probably why I didn't care much the NOLAs I heard a few years ago.  They were the smaller units and they sounded very flat or dynamically compressed.  Sounds like Bel Canto now that you mention it.  Someone at the Show told me to check them out saying they were better than the Venture rig we both heard.  I was terribly disappointed having that for a frame of reference.