I broke my own rule and ordered a pair of Omega Super Alnico Monitors sight unseen.
They ended up being a great speaker that is well suited for the application. I find myself listening to my second system a lot lately, they are good
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.
88 responses Add your response
When I was working, I traveled a lot for my job. In the late afternoons and evenings, I would visit brick-and-mortar stores to listen to a wide variety of CD players, amps, and speaker combinations. And I read reviews. In the early 90's, I bought a pair of Thiel CS2.2 speakers (used) from a brick-and-mortar store. I loved them, and enjoyed them for decades. I bought other models from the Thiel line (CS1.5, PowerPlane) without audition, and enjoyed them as well. So, when a used pair of Thiel CS7.2 become available, I bought them without an audition. It's probably the speaker that my heirs will have to figure how to freight out to the next owner. Later on, I also bought a pair of Thiel SCS3 speakers without audition. Once you are happy / accustomed with the sound of a particular designer, it seems to be pretty low risk to upgrade within their line. Over the years, I also upgraded the quality of my amplification without auditions. (Forte, Krell, Classe, Clayton, PS Audio, Boulder, to currently, D'Agostino). I have found that quality components can be readily re-sold without much trouble. I now live near Denver, so TMR has been helpful in my journey, And financially, the cost of trading in a piece of kit for another amounted to pennies-per-day for the time that I "auditioned" the item. And yes, I still upgrade digital sources on occasion, without auditions. But, when I can audition (like PS Audio, Boulder, locally in Boulder), I take advantage of that. Enjoy your journey, |
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. |
I have many reasons for my answer. I always listen to any speaker before I buy. The reviewers, people who give 5 stars do not have my ears. All ears hear differently, and it Boils down to what kind of sound you enjoy. I hear cars going a block away with so much bass I can hear reverb echoing and resonating around me. I call it noise, they think it’s great I am sure. Brick and mortar demos give you an idea. At home, they will sound different. Especially on your system. A break in period too will change as they break in. |
Bob @dorkwad best answer here.
Bob
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For me, price dictates my desire to actually hear a speaker, unless I am familiar with the "house" sound. But I have found that no matter what, speakers don't sound the same in the store, of course, and as you go up in price, they become more sensitive to the electronics and cables and room treatment too. So I bought Focal Diablo Utopia III's after listening, Joseph Audio Pulsars without any audition, since they only get rave reviews from everyone, and I like the Joseph Audio house sound, and bought my Wilson Sabrina X's by listening to the Sasha DAW's in the showroom. If I want to upgrade from the Sabrina's, I will definitely go to Axpona or some other audio show to listen to a wide variety of the speakers that folks talk about on here. One thing that I DON'T do is buy based on published reviews. As someone observed above, have you ever read a review that was not glowing? It is also tough to buy based on comments in the forums, since everyone has a different set up and room, so one person can dislike the speaker in their setup and another might think that the speaker is the best thing since sliced bread. So bottom line, its not the perfect solution, but an audio show is probably the best way to get exposed to many options in a given price range. |
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. |
I luv my vmps 40 and the towers I have they were are a good bang for the buck.you have to like ribbons. We're I am the are no stores so I have to gamble.i. have never sent anything back to crutchfield. And some other places that he 60 day return.upscale audio ect.but mostly buy used including cars with low miles at a great discount.enjoy the music stay healthy |
The safest way is to listen to them in your system at home. Won't make a bad decision that way. I've learned the hard and expensive way more than once. I know that I'm a VMPS RM40 BCSE man. I love the VMPS ribbons and have owned about 5 of them. Listened to a couple before I bought but they were in an unfamiliar system. Made poor choices both times. One other I bought without hearing them based on good reviews--also turned out poorly. My choice back in 2012 still beats out all challengers to my ears. Bob
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My last two purchases were sight unseen (actually, sound unheard). One was Buchardt Audio S400 and the other was Graham Chartwell LS6. It's not possible to audition the Burchardts and the Grahams are hard to find. I based both purchases on online, print and YouTube reviews. No regrets for either purchase, |
Purchased my first pair of speakers, AR 2ax back in 1967. Living in rural Minnesota my purchase from Defa Electroinics in New York arrived va the rail road. Now I’m 72 and I again purchased a pair of speakers without an audition., Monitor Audio Platinum 200 3g. Both were truly satisfying musically. No complaints whatso ever…. |
One thing that ought to be mentioned is to be careful the burn-in status of speakers if you get a chance to audition before buying. I recently purchased a pair of KEF LS50 Meta loudspeakers, which people say needs at least 100 hours of burn-in. I ran them 24 hours a day for a week straight and the sound barely improved. It took more like 500 hours of burn-in and now they sound absolutely night and day compared to new or even with 100 hours burn-in. Auditioning speakers that still smell like the packing container won’t give you a proper impression of what you’re getting! -Ed |
About 6 years ago, I purchased a pair of lower priced floor-stander speakers (~$2K/pair) without an audition but based on a glowing review by a reviewer and his audiophile friends. He supposedly kept the review pair and said his friends were going out to buy a pair themselves. Well... While they were pretty efficient, there was a definite dip in the upper mid-range that unfortunately rendered them not good enough to keep despite their price. I had passed the trial return date, so I sold them for a little more than 1/2 of what I paid for them. Try to audition the speakers you're interested in if possible, even if you can't play them in your system. You should be able to get a good impression as to how they perform before taking the plunge. Sight unseen and especially unheard can be very disappointing ! |
I mostly do not listen to speakers or even components before purchase. I rely mostly on research and gut instinct. For example, I've only bought 4 sets of speakers for my main system and of those, 3 pairs I had never listened to. I patiently wait for awesome deals and am prepared to buy without listening. I don't think anyone here would question these speaker non-auditions: Fourier 1, NHT 3.3, and MBL 101E. For example, the later was offered for less than $20K at an estate sale where you could only visually inspect, but no opportunity to listen. |
Four times with positive results (Galante Silverdales, Merlin TSM-MME, Perlisten S7t SE, Klipsch Cornwall IV), two with negative (PBN Montana, Spatial X3). The positives are still with me; the negatives did not last. I feel the only way to know a speaker is to have it your room, and for long enough to get the best out of it through positioning, amp selection, cabling, and that means owning. So I often just take the plunge after careful research and consideration, even if I have not been able to audition. Returns policies help. |
I purchased Magico S1s (out of state) without ever hearing any Magico speakers. Hindsight it was not the smartest decision. I liked them but never loved them and sold them 3 years later. I don't regret owning them, it is the loosing some $$ on them that bothered me the most. I'm happy to take the chance on something unheard if the risk of losing $$ is low. |
Most of the time these days it leads to buying without seeing or listening because the dealers don’t have what you want. Eventually everything will be direct sell. And there will be limited audio dealers mostly in bigger cities. I don't understand how these smaller dealers stay afloat. It's not easy being a dealer. There is so much overhead and financing involved and then you get to spend all your time dealing with customers answering questions hoping that someone's gonna buy something. Lots of dealers are just providers of information and they know that. A lot Are really nice to talk to but they know you're probably not gonna buy anything. |
My first “real” speakers were AR3a’s back in the mid-70s, through the military mail-order store. A friend vouched for them and the reviews were positive; another friend in the Pacific fleet bought a Sansui 8 Deluxe receiver & an Akai reel-to-reel with Dolby (!) noise reduction. I thought I was in heaven! Not sure I’d take that chance again, but I’m not a member of the $100K+ club yet…. |
Speakers I always listen to before purchase. In many ways that is your stereo system and at least for me, build my components around the sound those speakers generate. I live in the LA area so still have a number of quality hi fi stores in which to audition numerous brands of speakers. A suggestion, when on vacation look to see if there are any stereo stores in the vicinity that carry speakers you are interested in hearing. Even let’s say you purchase years later, at least you have some idea of the sound quality, and more importantly how that brand sounds to your ears if you do buy sight unheard in the future. |
For consideration: If a person were to be a more complete audio hobbyist and make their own speakers - they wouldn't have heard them before buying components (drivers, wood, wire, crossover-parts, etc.). So, if they were to buy pre-manufactured speakers, it stands to reason that buying before listening would be perfectly legitimate. Other considerations: Room plays a critical role. Reflecting and reverberating with the speaker output, producing a combined result that travels through the air medium to impart pressure differentials in our ears. Few among us have listened to what will be the audio room prior-to and as the primary consideration of home purchase. Try telling your real estate agent to filter by non-reverberant home and see how that works out. Common-sense says listen if you can. If you can't, then research opinions of those you tend to agree with regarding sound like/dislikes. Also, buy from reputable sources offering a return policy - if you end-up hating them. Purchases of pre-mfg/pre-designed speakers have been a mix of demo'd vs not-demo'd for me. Finally, regardless of what you get, spend plenty of time listening in your room before making decisions. Human biology adjusts itself, adapting the interpretation of sounds - the more you listen to a set of speakers, the more you're inclined to like it, unless there are blatant issues. Examples of 'blatant' issues I've experienced as inconsolable: |
I bought a pair of Klipsch Heresy IV’s a year ago ear unheard (sight unseen… ear… never mind) and I swore up and down I’d return the *&@&)$^*’d things inside 48 hours of arrival but decided to wait. I ran FM radio classic rock for a couple days straight and WOW! Combination of “owner bias”, “breaking in” and placement did the trick. I’d been listening to a pair of Ohm 4’s for 3 years previous to this; the Klipsch placement isn’t - yet - ideal, but they’re keepers. HOWEVER, I’m very interested in buying a pair of Schmidt Audio’s “Ubiquitous” speakers; they’re up in Ontario, Canada and I plan on driving up in early March to “audition” them. There’s a total solar eclipse March 8 and I’ll be visiting an old army buddy too so we’ll take a road trip. https://schmidtaudio.ca My alter ego, “Hudson Shepherd” named their new subwoofer, “SUBiquitous” (it was so obvious they’d missed it) on fakebook. Hudson liked woofers. I miss the Ohms, but can’t afford “German Physik” speakers - not until I win the lottery anyway.
So, to answer your question, yes and no. |
@reched go ahead and get the R7 Meta. Life is short. Enjoy, and don't look back. |
Everyone has different wallets and use case scenarios. In general, if I’m buying bookshelf speakers for use in my den in the $1000 to $1500 range, I bought them without hearing, based on reviewers I’ve watched enough of to know what they like, i.e. Steve Gutenberg likes "lively in your face" speakers, but when he reviews he’ll tell you if he hears that or not. So, I bought some Wharfedale Diamond 12.2 and am very happy with them. |
Magazine reviews? They are ALWAYS positive, when have you ever seen a negative review from stereophile? TAS? Hifi+? If every product review is positive, which it can’t be, there is always a product that comes in second/3rd, etc. Sound thru YouTube sucks, even going thru a good audio system. The best bet is to go listen to speakers at an audio show, fly to a city to a dealer that has them, or buy online with a 30 day money back guarantee. I have multiple friends fly across the country to hear some speakers, both dealt with buying $100,000+ speakers and they wanted to hear them. If I would want to buy their speakers, I would just fly to their house for a listen. |
I have a found a way to listen to speakers for my main system before making a purchase. I think speakers are the most important component, so I have insisted on hearing speakers before I buy and comparing choices. I wouldn't say I will always do that because it does limit Your choices, but so far that's been my practice. I have not always auditioned speakers for a secondary system, with mixed results |
There is no substitute for listening IMHO. I auditioned many box speakers, but once I heard Maggies I was sold. I have had good success with electronics, buting McIntosh used. If I wanted to sell, I could always get all my money back. My tube preamp bought 17 years ago is worth more than I paid, same for my mono bloc amps. I understand the issues with travel, but before spending serious $$ I would go on a road trip. I am a buy and hold kind of guy, so the effort becomes an adventure with a long term reward. |
Bought pair of Dynaudio Evoke 10s without audition But I had Audition other Dynaudio at RMAF and new they were good and what I liked. Hooked them up to my AV system and thought they sounded a bit thin. Moved them to my main system where there is a Quad Atera amp and realized the issue was the Denon Av amp. Before the Evokes I had a pair of Gallo Classico book shelf speakers in the AV system that I bought purely on reviews and they were cheap on Craigslist. Although the Evokes are certainly better but at 2X the cost it made me realize how good the Gallo's were for the $$ and were a better bang for buck solution. I need a better AV amp to make the Evokes do their thing. The gallos masked the inadequacies of the amp or were a better match. Bought a pair of Quad S-5 based on reviews (again, smoking deal off craigs) and ran them head to head against my Focal 926s. Sold the quads but a year later I wish I had kept the Quads as my music taste changed to favor the Quads. Just recently I bought a pair of Quad Z-5s again off craigs for a good deal but totally based on how much I like the Quad S-5. Ran those against the Focal 926 and ultimately sold the Focals but I really liked those speakers. Wish I could have kept them both but I need a new espresso machine so they had to go.
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@deep_333 How to find out the IQ level of speaker designer? Is there some kind of database? |
I usually try and hear everything first. Speakers. Amps. Pre amps. But didn’t do that with my last 2 big purchases. The first one was the B&W Matrix 800s. Have read about them for many many many years. I knew they would be phenomenal. Also without hearing I bought the ARC Ref 750s. Once again I read many many reviews over the years. No regrets. Same with my AQ Dragon PCs. Phenomenal sound. No regrets. |