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In Reply to: RE: Your own ears are the best review of a speaker posted by airtime on May 05, 2017 at 09:53:47
What if there are no stores in a reasonable range from you?
What if the stores don't have anything you like?
Going to a store to listen to speakers on unfamiliar electronics in an unfamiliar room isn't always always a guarantee of success.
What if the demo of good speakers sounds like dog doo?
For example, my wife and I auditioned some Golden Ear Triton 1s at a local store one day. Nice speakers. Crappy demo. They use Tidal in what what must have been a sub-optimal set up. Electronics were Classe'. It sounded horrible. Even my wife, who doesn't pay attention to audio quality commented on how bad it sounded. Flat, dull, with no soundstage worth mentioning. After 5-10 minutes, I convinced him to hook up a CD player and play some of my discs, despite the fact that he didn't understand why. Better, but the speakers were not set up properly. It was clear to me that the speakers were probably better than the demo showed. Bear in mind, this was not some pimpley kid in Best Buy, but an adult in a high end store. He actually thought the crappy sound was good. Did I buy them? No, though I could have lived with them. I didn't want to reward such a god-awful demo.
I ended up buying different speakers online.
Jack
Follow Ups:
Everything you say here is true. But I will stick with my advice. There are a few alternatives to a brick and mortar audio retailer--trade shows, folks here who might be nearby and willing to provide a listening session, owners selling them used who would demo them, etc. I guess if you have a lot of money, paying $4K for an unheard speaker is not a big deal, but I wouldn't do it.
I posted an inquiry here for nearby audiophiles who have a pair of speakers I wanted to audition. One gentleman about two hours' drive away, invited me to listen at his place with my own program material with which I was familiar. We had a very enjoyable time together. He has since visited me a couple of times and we stay in touch by e-Mail. A new audio friend!
Of course some retailers will allow an in-home demo, but I think that tends to be in the case of very loftily-priced equipment.
All the caveats about demos you mentioned are true. I have experienced these problems too. The conclusion one might draw from that is that there is no reason, ever, to audition equipment because the setup may be inept, is not what you have at home in your own space and with your own equipment. It is a tough problem for certain.
Enjoy your music!
Many if not most online retailers offer a 30 day or more return policy, as well as some manufacturers. Ohm speakers for example, offers a 120 day return policy.
Jack
Both offer in home demo direct. If you don't keep them you pay shipping.
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