Gone are the days of the great audition.

Thanks johnnyb53....hitting the goldenear dealer tomorrow. They also sold me the amp so they want me to bring the amp with me. Now this might just be a great audition. Vinyl preselected!

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Jmacinnis & Rocker, I have given your idea some thought.. I thought about approaching mfgs to use my place as a demo room for their speakers that don't have a dealer in my area (LA)that stocks the speaker....no sales from me, just a demo fee. The demo fee is credited back to the customer if he purchases from the mfg or a local dealer that doesn't stock the auditioned speaker.
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Yes Mitch!! Let us know what they say. Good ideas have to start somewhere, especially where there is a need.

Seeing an ad in the Seattle Times that Magnolia HiFi is having a "moving" sale at their Roosevelt store, I went to see if they had any good bargains. Turns out they are "moving" to a small space in the big Yellow Sign store a few miles away. While I didn't see any terrific deals I was interested in, I have to say the loss of a stand alone Seattle stereo brick and mortar institution is a disturbing sign of the times. I realize that Magnolia was bought by the Yellow brand a while ago, but the Seatle stand alone in the Roosevelt district was the anchor for three smaller shops on the same block, and was the last tie in Seattle to a local icon. This move was inevitable, and while I still bought gear from the stand alone store as recently as this year, I doubt I will visit the new "location" that much. In addition to the three surviving shops, there are two more boutiques less than ten blocks away in the U District and another downtown, making Seattle relatively flush with HiFi B&M stores. But I have to wonder for how long. kn

PS - Johnnyb53, Tim at Experience Audio sells Dynaudio speakers. Check him out.

I don't think audio shows are the answer. Even tho I just got back from Capitol Audio Fest and did hear some interesting stuff it's of limited value overall.

1) much of the equipment is flagship mega bucks
2) most of its set up in spaces that are so small the equipment doesn't sound optimal.
3) speakers tend to have cost no object electronics driving them which doesn't translate to what you own
4) you're listening to music preselected to sound good on that speaker and none that show it's weaknesses.

The answer is for manufacturers to greatly simplify their systems into all in one so they take care of optimum component matching. That's why I've moved to the Wadia with amp, pre and Dac built in. I just need a single match between speakers and electronics for synergy.

Powered speakers also can greatly simplify system matching.