Free in-home testing?

Can’t imagine free. You can buy some brands with a return policy. PS Audio and Tekton for example. You could also try Amazon Prime.

To get the best sound you need a great dealer or go to a stereo show ASAP!!

Unless I'm misreading, SVS has a 45 day risk free trial with free shipping both ways and a full refund, which goes a little beyond a standard return policy.  I guess what I'm asking is if any other companies offer something similar

Would love to attend a show if something is coming up in the Philly area or nearby

That’s an offer I would take...  you have to be pretty confident and / or have a proven record of low return rates to make an offer like that. SVS makes good products for the money too....

I’ve attended several shows in NY, it’s well worth the trip if you are planning on buying soon or even just because it’s cool to see the latest and greatest gear.  

There is no free anything.

Help yourself.

Yes there is, chewing gum and dick, and I just gave away my last stick of gum. LOL.

Oh, my.
 Careful earlflynn, you are reverting back to your former banned self and showing cracks in that false persona you want everyone to believe.
But then, it was just a matter of time, wasn’t it.

@mlenow here are some I can think of off the top of my head. I’ve limited it to ones that will provide a full refund. There are some additional ones that will charge a restocking fee. You may be responsible for shipping in some cases, but I think that’s pretty fair.

• Magnepan allows for a home trial of some of their models.
• I offer a 30 day trial period on my Neko Audio DAC.
• Audeze has a 30 day trial period.
• HSU Research has a 30 day trial policy.
• Zu Audio has a 60 day trial period.
• Axiom Audio has a 30 day trial period.
• Ascend Acoustics has a 30 day guarantee.

There’s also Music Direct. They offer a 60 day satisfaction guarantee on most equipment and accessories and carry a bunch of brands.

You mentioned World Wide Stereo and they have a 60 day money back guarantee also. So you could choose to order something for delivery instead of driving 70 minutes. Although spending a couple hours driving in order to spend several hours listening to a bunch of different stuff at once seems like it could be well worth it. And you could then try a few items at home to decide for sure.

Likewise, I bet a bunch of smaller brands, particularly ones who sell Internet-direct, would be happy to accommodate you in some way if you’re upfront about wanting to try something out.

Fritz

Showrooms near me are getting harder


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you do your research, , takes  time , you'll know what you are getting youeslf into. If its a keeper, BINGO, Loot winner, If the speaker turns out a  loser, 
Just how are you going to return a  pair of speakers weighing 200+ lbs??
can't. 
I just bought a  pair of  single drivers, going to build my cabinets. 
Over seas, Impossible to return, $1800, 
No gamble. 
Knew exactly this is what I wanted. 
So anyone in New Orleans area, feel free to stop in for a  demo. 
This  might be a  great option for speaker labs , set up home demos in every US city. 

No,   folks do not want a  return guarantee policy.
Shipping is a pain and expensive, Not doable.
AS I say, the more you research the less your risk factor.

The idea that you can really judge speakers in a dealer's showroom is foolish: the biggest single influence on the sound is the room.  Moreover, the dealer is probably not using the same source and same electronics that you will be using.  And you will not be able to listen for 15 days.

Magnepan offers a 60 day trial but you have to pay return shipping; Ohm and some other speaker manufacturers have a similar policy.  But if the speakers weight 100 lbs each this may not b practical.

Among the big online stores, I think Crutchfield has the best return policy: 60 day trial and they will send you a prepaid return label.  I have only returned equipment but the charge was $10 (now $12 I think).  They say the cost to return tower speakers is $75 each. 

If SVS is paying shipping both ways that is an amazing policy.

I think it's a good point about being difficult to truly judge based on the showroom, however I find I'm still able to rule things out.  For example the Martin Logan Motion 40s did nothing for me

The SVS policy does seem too good to be true but I appreciate the length they'll go to stand behind their products

PS Audio has 30 Days.  But you might need to ask for the free return fedex label.  And they have a trade in policy. 

Audio Advisor has a 30 day refund policy!

Rythmik: Returns allowed for 45 days, but customer pays return shipping, which on a hundred lb. sub is not inconsiderable. I have never heard of Rythmik deducting for fingerprints on the enclosure though. ;-)

The Music Room allows a couple weeks of trial. Buyer pays shipping.

I tried a very large set of speakers from Focal via Crutchfield. 60 day trial and $10 each speaker to ship back to them.

which set of Focals?

Crutchfield charges 75 dollars to return a pair of speakers.

Brick & Mortar stores have to pay rent, staff, benefits, etc. and maintain an inventory of demonstrators to show, which is all part of the overhead.  And we all know shoppers want to hear a variety to choose from, so there have to be redundancies.  Home trials of products that are big and heavy require manpower and transportation to get set up.  If you can't determine whether a product is suited to your needs without an in-home trial, you have to be willing to pay for the service, and by paying retail for the product if and when you decide to buy it.  If the dealer waives the cost of setting up the in-home demo that is already a substantial discount on the item because the manpower and transport are expenses that the dealer is paying regardless.  In contrast, internet sellers have much lower overhead, higher volume, and therefore can afford to put some of their margin into generous return policies and free shipping.  DO NOT equate the business models of these two kinds of stores...there are different pressures on them.  If you as consumers of audio value your local B&M retailers, don't expect them to match the policies offered by online or direct-to-consumer sellers...and by all means, if you have a great experience and decide to buy what you are shown, be willing to pay for it!

Also judging sound at shows is for the most part futile. For years, best of show and runner ups rarely have anything to do with the gear but the set up skills of the manufacturer. The really smart ones hire the best, guys like Jim Smith.

For example, every Tekton speaker I've heard at a show sounded so bad that I'm baffled at their popularity. The Schiit room is consistently painful. Etc. In this industry, great marketing coupled with some really creative online shilling rule the day.

@mlenow

Would love to attend a show if something is coming up in the Philly area or nearby

https://www.capitalaudiofest.com

A $ saving strategy is to buy used then resell if don’t like.  

Which reminds me, got to sign up for AXPONA.

Also judging sound at shows is for the
most part futile.

I somewhat disagree.  It’s true that it’s a hit and miss because of the room modes and possibly sub-par setups, but if you hear a sound you like seems the speaker should at least perform similarly at home provided that it’s supported by the audio chain and addressing room acoustics.  Magico and YG speakers usually sounded great to me but at the 2019 RMAF the Magicos only sounded meh.

@mlenow Focal 936

And I erred -- it was Martin Logan xti 60's that I got from Crutchfield.

@edlchiang Crutchfield charges 75 dollars to return SOME pairs of speakers. For large ones, like the Martin Logans, it was $10/speaker because it was going back with a different company because they were heavier.

What Voxativ should do , is to offer up a  piar of its drivers, to someone in the USA, who will organize a  free inhome testing, Each requested  demo has    no more than a  few days to ck out the driver, test it and ship back to Vox rep, 
Demo trial shipping  is paid by the requested party, 
And /or have 1 Vox rep in each major city offering a  inhome demo trial either at Rep's home or inquirer's home. 
The days of audio stores, /online blind ordering are over.

This is the only way a  foreign lab  with a  **strange**  concept  **off the beaten path design* is ever going to get accept with any degree of market share here in the USA. 
I admit there is a  one driver club out there in the USA, but its onlya  small niche, And most are DIYers pickking up used /old school single drivers, who will not spend $2k-$5k on a new school driver. 
Vox  needs to attemp to reach the new  generation of audiophiles comming into the market, who have never heard a  wide band driver. 

@hilde45, nice, I'm going to check out the Chora 826 soon

Hello,
Does anyone here have any ideas how to correct this problem for brick and mortar stores. As it was stated above all of the else stores have crazy overhead.  I’m worried that in the future we will be buying all of our gear from Amazon. I try to promote the local brick and mortar store I buy my gear from in the Chicagoland area. https://holmaudio.com/
They do let you try before you buy, but at the store. 

Holm audio will let you demo at home for a few days.  

Get your checkbook ready!

  Sanders Sound does in home for 30 days. 
    After the Magtech or the speakers, you will buy, some if not one of the best systems one can own in audio!

 Warranty, reliability, one of the very best.
worth every penny for Sanders products!

    One of the best!
amps drive any load, even those MBL Radiostrhaler behemoths!

  Pretty much the only amp you will ever need!

your welcome!

If you are near Long Island you can come by me if you want to take a listen to my Bache Audio Tribeca speakers. Shoot me a PM if you're interested. 

IF I have a sample, I will generally lend it to you for cost of shipping.  Most non-special order items have a 30 day return policy where your cost is return shipping. Some products are tough and expensive to ship though. 

If you want to try my speakers, I am happy to ship you a pair.  Same, return shipping is your risk which never really runs more than $100.  

IF I have a sample, I will generally lend it to you for cost of shipping.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is where wide bands have a advantage, 
Shipping a  wide band , tops $60 each way.
This is  the best  option. 
We all need to work together and hold inhome testing demos. Let the wider community date/time/convienent for most.
I plan to let everyone know my home is open to hear the Vox in the New Orleans area. 

He must be dead by now, but Audio By Caruso in  South Miami was the best  He gave me a week to return a sub I bought from him.. When I barely made the deadline, I was shocked when he opened an easily accessible desk drawer and handed back my un-cashed check.

Jim Clark stereo at least for the Carver 275 and 350.  He pays shipping to you and " We have an Iron Clad Satisfaction Guaranty with No-Restocking Fee if You are Less than 100% Satisfied with your purchase.. you pay shipping back to him, (that's fair) but you won't.  You probably buy a second to bi-amp.  5 yes 5 yr warranty on both amp AND tubes,Same with the 350 "  If you are less than 100% Happy, we will refund your purchase with no restocking fee w/n 30 days"  you pay shipping back but again you won't.  I own the 350s with a 50 yr warranty on tubes and amp (he gave it to me at Carverfest) the rest of you peons only get a 10, yes TEN yr warr on amp and tubes.  Name me one company that gives 5 or 10 or 50 on amp AND Tubes.  Many hi end amp 6 months on tubes, maybe a yr if you are lucky then that you buy the tube(s) and pay for all repairs if necessary.  If your not looking for an amp................................................never-mind (courtesy of SNL)
Now I have it from the highest authority (seriously) they are working on a new tube pre-amp but don't know where., when...Maybe Axpona??? I honestly don't' know.  I do the 1/2 stack is history (highest source) so don't wait for that.