agree that buying from smaller, newer, less established speaker makers can offer great performance and value, if also a downside if one wants to resell later
other downside is that small shops started by a single person or a small group can decide to go out of business without warning, or discontinue their products in a change of direction for the company
one needs to also assess how one gets service or parts (e,g. blown tweeter after amp hookup mishap, for instance) - many smaller makers use commercially available drivers etc etc, so that can help in some case
for me, with such companies, i will generally try new ones at full price only on a risk free trial basis (or close to it)... whereas there is never such worry if getting a pair of well kept second hand harbeths, maggies, spendors, proacs, vandy's, klipsches there are always ready and willing buyers
also, the risks may be at a tolerable level if dealing with a pair of $1200 standmounts... lil riskier if one goes for $12 grand pair of 100 lb floorstanders
it is definitely a benefit to have the customer be in a local vicinity of the speaker maker... ability to demo, return, fix, help set up in customer home (if the maker is inclined) - so sometimes the risks of dealing with a small maker are mitigated by proximity
other thing to understand is for a smaller, up and coming maker, in this time of internet boards and forums, what is the nature of the customer following and ’buzz’ around a brand, if it considered ’hot stuff’ in the present period (take denafrips and dacs or spatials in ob speakers), trading in and out can be fairly easy with minimal financial penalty
