Speaker preferences are so specific that I would always make sure I heard them before I sprung for them--even if it's just at a show. I've owned Merlin, Neat, Klipcsh, Nola, Linn, Audio Note, Magnepan, Q Acoustics, Harbeth, Votli, and Fleetwood (still have the last four) and heard them all ahead of time before buying.
The only exception was a pair of KEF LS50s that were on sale for $799 and were going on my bar, so not an ideal placement and under $1K.