Buying Without Audition

When I was a lot younger, and living in or near a city, I did the same thing and became very familiar with the brands and sounds of the time. A lot of sound waves have passed under the bridge since then, and there are so many more products now.  I understand that there is a "systems" approach and the same limitations apply to auditioning preamps/amps and sources. So much to choose from spread out all around different dealers in different cities.  As you know, it is hard to A-B compare components that you hear at different places at different times. This is one of the problems of living out in the country......but I ain't movin' back to town.

Thank you all for sharing your perspective on the matter.  Your opinions are valued and are helpful.

I'm the OP and still looking and learning.  I was going to make a 9+ hour round trip to audition a pair of speakers I saw advertised on line. The are beautiful to look out, made of real hardwoods, and fit my decor more than perfectly, but of course, its about the sound. The manufacturer is no longer in business but had a very fine reputation during his run.  The reviews raved about the speakers (it seems like they all do) an noted that they were "laid back" rather than "out front" and that they didn't hit you in the face with tone but rather "lured you in".  I guess that meant that the speakers were not on the more detailed end of the spectrum.  I was still intrigued and seriously contemplating rearranging my schedule to go here those beauties. 

Fortunately, I was in the closest big city (Atlanta) for a medical appointment and made time to visit some shops to hear some speakers.  It's slim pickin's in that town.  When I lived there, many years ago, there were several small, hi-fi shops that handled some high end lines of products. Now, I could only easily find the big box (Best Buys "Magnolia") and one shop that has been there forever.  The guys at Magnolia knew a lot less about their equipment than I did; and, they only had the various price point models of B&W's to listen to.  They had several other brands on the floor of the "sound room" including Martin Logan, Sonus Faber and Distintive Technology (or something like that). When I asked to  A - B some of the others with the B&W's, they told me no can do. None of the others were hooked up!!!!  I guess they have a real good margin in the B&W's and don't want to sell anything else.

The other shop had a nice set-up and I auditioned several sets/brands without any sales pressure.  They happened to have a set of trade-in speakers from the same manufacturer that made the ones I was focusing on and which were 9+ hours away.  The pair at the shop were a 2-way version and I was interested in the bigger brother 3-way systems but figured I could at least hear that manufacturer's "sound".  Just as I had read, the speakers were "laid back" and didn't have the brighter detail and sparkle that I prefer. The sales associate said that was the result of the silk dome tweeter. The big brother had a silk dome tweeter (probably the same one) and I realized that this was not the sound I was looking for.  This event saved me from a 9+ hour journey to disappointment.

I'm still studying and looking.  Many systems for sale that interest me are large floor standing, full range speakers which often are quite heavy and the sellers require "local pick-up" only, or the shipping costs are prohibitive, especially for an opportunity to audition and return if not satisfied.  So. in the meantime, I'm sending my old KEF 105/3's to a repair facility to have the surrounds and donuts replaced and crossovers checked.   I may just be happy with these once they are back to their original sound which was quite nice really.  Thank you for all your advice and sharing your experiences.

BTW,  anybody familiar with a full range speaker system with "detailed" sound that can be placed within 18" of the back wall?

I don't have a dedicated sound room. The audio system is in my living room. The room is approximately 25 x 16 with a sloped ceiling that goes from 8 feet to about 12 feet high. I was quite impressed with a set of PSB Imagine small towers. The imaging and detail were excellent (at least in the showroom).  I would like to hear their Synchrony model which should more depth and bottom end. I'm not familiar with Zu and will do some research, thanks.

Right now I'm using my 1990's Luxman R-115 receiver (75w/ch),
 recently cleaned and recapped. I've got a Peachtree Audio Grand Integrated on its way here. Tons of class D power (more than I really need) and a great built in DAC. For sources I have a Musical Fidelity X-Ray CDP and will stream internet radio from an iPad. I accumulated all the equipment (except for the iPad) without audition and based on research and reviews. I've done ok so far but speakers are so variable and subjective that it gives cause for caution.

Thank you so much for the offer. I'm not sure when I'll be down there again but I may contact you when I think I may be traveling your way.

2 1/2 hours North of Atlanta, GA;
2 1/2 hours East of Chattanooga, TN;
2 1/2 hours West of Asheville, NC.

I don't mean to be didactic, but only want you to gain a skill set, before buying speakers based on others reviews.

I'm not a newbie and have been playing around with hi-fi equipment for over 45 years.  The nearest "big city" is Atlanta which used to have several high end gear shops. With the advent of the big box stores and mp3 music, the small shops have gone by the way side.  I made the trip down there and found a very limited range of speakers to audition.  Many of the brands one reads about on this forum and others are not represented by any dealer in the area.  Hence the dilemma.

Discretion being the better part of valor, rather than delve into the unknown I decided to have my KEF 105/3 Reference Series speakers (circa 1990) serviced.  The foam surrounds and donuts for the four woofers have been replaced; the crossovers have been recapped; and a bad connection to one of the tweeters has been repaired.  The repair tech says they now sound great. I remember how good these speakers used to sound and I hope when I get them back home (soon) I will be well satisfied and not continue to fall prey to "Speaker Acquisition Syndrome" which affects so many of us.