Do You Buy Speakers Without Hearing Them?


In the 'good old days' there were a lot of hifi stores around so there was plenty of opportunity to go in and listen to various brands and models of speakers.  With the continuing disappearance of audio shops, I'm wondering if more people are making the leap to buy speakers they've never heard in person, or just limiting their purchase options to the brands they can hear locally?  If you are buying a speaker that you haven't heard, how do you get comfortable with that?  Magazine reviews?  YouTube demos?  

I've mostly heard any speaker I ended up buying, but in two cases I bought speakers that weren't available in my area.  I made my decision based on reviews.  In one case the speaker was really nice, but in the second case, the speaker was well-reviewed but ended up being disappointing.

Appreciate your thoughts.

 

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Showing 1 response by vthokie83

My last 2 speaker purchases were without audition; Buchardt Audio S400 MKII, and Clayton Shaw Caladans (which have finally shipped and should be here Wednesday now). Both bought direct from manufacturer without dealer middlemen.

The Buchardts turned out to be a home run for $2,000 two way bookshelf, and here's hoping the Caladans are as well. I definitely bought those on Clayton's reputation alone, and an extremely attractive price point.