Have you ever bought something you've never heard of?

Congratulations. Great it turned out well. 

I don't think I have ever done that with audio. I'm a "research the crazy out of something first" kind of guy.

I bought an integrated years ago that I’d never heard of. It was a 90 pound beast and one of the best amps I ever had. Dussun V8i,

+1 @ghdprentice 

Knowledge is king (and it's free).

@ghdprentice I do the same thing. Research a lot, but ultimately go with my gut. I’m only stupid with smaller purchases like cables.

I did do some research on the cable. Checked the manufacturer's website and I found their design philosophy interesting. 

This cable is really excellent.  Has me listening to cds again. 

I often research a product until it's discontinued.    I have bought without auditioning or seeing in person , but never something I've never heard of. 

That's why these forums are a valuable resource.   I can see maybe with cables that don't break the bank but buying an unknown is a no go for me. 

@oddiofyl I did some research on the cable, but only found a few mentions of it on this forum (they were positive).  I liked the manufacturer's description of the cable which was based more on physics that geometries or silver composition, etc.  I would never do that with anything expensive, but I rolled the dice on this one.  It paid off this time.  I actually ordered a second cable from a UK seller on eBay.  It was $213 shipped for a 1.5M length.  

I listened to my cd player yesterday evening instead of streaming.  I hadn't done that for months.  

Nice. I’ve have been spinning discs a lot lately. I find that the original CD almost always is better than a remaster. I think most of the streaming content is remastered and there’s no way around it.

I try to avoid the cable controversy but if you find a great cable at a good price then only you can measure the value

My last few cables have been from the same manufacturer because I think they are a great value proposition

Raven power cables: well-constructed, great connectors, attractive and sturdy.

Sometimes you gotta gamble when getting into niche brands. I’ve honestly never bought any of my gear by hearing it first at a dealer. I just researched to see if the gear is compatible and used forums to understand the sound. From my table to my speakers all have worked out and sounded impressive. Never once regretted any purchase I’ve made.

All i ever bought was without ever be able to hear it before...

Save an headphone i discarded because i was not able to modify it really with improvement...

I was never unsatisfied with my main purchases...( save the headphones none of them pleased me till the K340 which i optimized also though)

i read  and study for months before buying...

I was unsatisfied by my last purchase , top  tube headphone amplifier near 2,000 bucks...It was a good product but unable to drive the picky K340...my top Sansui Alpha do it at a level which is impossible to beat, i paid to know it...

I return this famous tube headphone after one hour without too much  money lost... ( almost 300 bucks i lost )

The key of my S.Q. level satisfaction was not purchase synergy which is the first important things to adress for sure..

it was as i said studying and experimenting with mechanical,electrical and acoustical devices and installations (homemade) ...

How can you be deceived by 2 top Sansui amplifiers or the AKG K340?

Or low cost top product as Fosi or Douk audio ?

My best dac is the french now unobtainable French Mariac SPS Nos battery dac ...Minimalistic design.. No fault ...

The other is very good too : Hidis AP80 pro...For the K340  it is perfect i even can set the right equalization...

My most deep discovery is how to obtain the best sound with anything using acoustics knowledge (according to his quality level, no cheap speakers will beat a top one even with  perfect acoustics tuning, but a low cost system can beat a very costlier one which is not in a controlled room especially  for it ,trust me)...

Ifi Zen DAC vers 2----great little DAC and headphone amp for about $200. Highly recommended.

In the late 90s, I moved from Omaha to Kansas City. There was a retail shop in downtown KC called Primus Audio.  I think the owner’s name was Al. Anyway, he let me demo some Marsh Sound Design equipment (amp + preamp). I didn’t know anything about Richard Marsh or his gear. It was pretty nice equipment and it sounded great. I sold it about six or seven years ago, and I regret that decision.  

@jrod68 Al was my guy.  I believe his last name was Eckelson (I'm sure the spelling is wrong).  I bought my Von Schweikert VR-4 speakers from him as well as numerous other items.  Great guy.  He had a nice selection of electronics and speakers.  I lived in Beatrice, but did business in KC. 

@jrod68 where do you live now?  I'm in KC. 

@sls883 I’m in old Overland Park, not far from the downtown area. I used to frequent Sound F/X off the Plaza. Bought Maggie 1.6s from Rob the owner.  Good guy, wish he was still around. Ever since Vinyl Renaissance closed, there’s nowhere to listen to new equipment.  

@jrod68 I bought my TT and cartridge from Vinyl Renaissance just before they closed.  I've checked out the website for Sound Environment, but I don't see much that interests me. 

Id never heard of LSA or even had them on my radar till I think I saw someone mention it in a forum post here and so I went out and found an LSA statement intimated. Loved it! Beautiful and smootj and it lasted me until my finances ebbed.

I bought my ASR power amp from the late Zed Hussain at Musical Sounds in Connecticut. I called him about an arcane tube preamp from some Slavic country and after talking with him for at least a half an hour, I purchased the amplifier. The ASR Emitter II Exclusive is the best piece I own.

Literally my entire system I never heard. 
Perfectly happy. 

I bought a Topping DAC without ever hearing a Topping piece.  Turned out to be great, and cheap. 

Confusing question. "Never heard of" or "never heard" ? 

I’ve never bought anything I know nothing about.  I’m not much of a gambler when it comes to audio. I simply don’t have the financial resources.  If I unexpectedly come across something that seems promising at a time when I’m looking to upgrade that type of gear, I’ll check to see if it’s available with a return policy. If not, I’ll (9 times out of 10) move on. If so, I’ll read all the reviews and user threads I can find. If these suggest it might work for me, I’ll order it to try out at home. My only exception in the past 15 years or so has been my Jay’s CDT2MK3 transport. No return policy on that. But as things turned out, I didn’t need one. 

I take "gambles" all the time on stuff I've never heard. A lot of it had good reviews already (Denafrips, Sonnet, Holo Audio) but just doesn't have a local physical dealer to demo in person. All of those purchases turned out to be enjoyable. Other times I've tried actual unknown brands, sometimes it worked out incredibly well (Veritas Cables) other times not so great (won't mention names here). As long as the brand or dealer has a solid return policy it isn't a problem, kind of a fun adventure.

My Audio System is pretty much Commission Built where a large proportion is unique and not duplicated.

There was not any Pre-Listening only Pre-Discussion and attempting to align my wants with a EE's thinking to create something close to my concept.

 A Pre Amp' is being built currently for myself, under the exact same practice as the above, but on this occasion I have a loan of a version of the SS Section of the design.

A SS Phonostage is also currently being produced for myself. Even though I know the design and have been demo'd it in use on quite a few occasions. The EE Builder is introducing tweaks that they feel I will enjoy more than the standard model. A comparison will be carried to see which model I am to settle with.

Almost everything I have ever bought, I had never heard before (exception is a pair of headphones, which have since been replaced). There just are no options to trial listenings, and it is pointless mostly because of room interaction and synergy with other components. Plus dealers are unwilling to set up A/B comparison demos, plus typically do not have the items I may be interested in comparing. Another exercise in futility.

Additionally, it is impossible to know of what the sonic possibilities are, particularly in conjunction with one's personal preferences. Add to that the great variation in recording styles and the ideal becomes an illusion.

I have purchased everything based on reviews and interactions with manufacturers, and am happy with it. Could it get better? Possibly yes, possibly no. For instance, I purchased a $5K Holoaudio May L2 DAC [based on GoldenSound review, which I trust as he dismantled MQA], but compared to a $200 Topping D50III, there is no clear winner across multiple recordings and styles of music. I keep the Holo on the main system, the Topping on my computer desktop system mainly because of form factor.