I started buying speakers (all kinds and sizes) in the early '80s. Probably a dozen to a dozen and a half pairs since then, all but one or two used. I'm pretty sure I heard only one of those speakers very briefly before buying (in a noisy showroom). So of course that purchase was a disaster. The speakers sucked and I quickly dumped them. Easily the largest and heaviest speakers I ever owned were the Vandersteen 4s. I bought them used from 3,300 miles away based on various reviews of different Vandersteen models (all positive reviews). The 4s had to be shipped to my house on a semi-trailer. It was insane. They were an immediate success, and still live on in memory as the best speakers I ever heard.
Buying speakers "blind" is easier now w/the aid of the internet. I long ago figured out my sonic preferences, and since then have become rather good at decoding/translating the descriptives people use for speakers. For example, "accurate" and "transparent" often = bright (or at least, brighter than I want). And so on.