Comparing speakers at home questions

While one is obligated to do a quick A/B or two, just to check for glaring differences. After that. I recommend maybe a week of listening then switch for a week. Try not to listen to the speakers... just listen to the music. Then try to forget when you swap them. This will bring out the real differences... this longer term comparison shows the big differences... in overall presentation, tonal balance.

If you do quick A/B you will use your minds eye (ear) to focus just on one instrument and sound type at a time... it is so limiting and is incredibly confusing. Best to do long term switches and the differences will become very obvious.

Good luck.

 You should have a good idea of what your current speakers sound like and are capable of. Just play the new ones with familiar recordings and decide if they're better for you.

If I were comparing I would pick one and listen to them for several days getting to know how they sound then switch.  In my experience, A/B switching doesn’t work well for me.  Unless the speakers are glaringly different, in which case A/B testing could prove useful, listening for an extended period will make even the subtle differences more apparent imo.  I would also suggest making some sort of playlist that covers the genres of music you like and use that for both extended listening periods.

Play the new speakers first, and they must be burnt in for a few hundred hours before critical listening, for a few minutes. Do you generally like their presentation ? If not - there is nothing to talk about. If you do, start comparing with the old ones. How best to proceed ? Whatever. A combination of quick comparison and extended listening of each pair. Complication might be that you like them both but that they are quite different, and you wouldn't know which ones to choose. Another complication - they might require different electronics and cables to sound best.

What particular speakers are you talking about ?