I live "just across the Hudson" in Jersey City and until recently, I lived in CT and have commuted into Manhattan for a long stretch. This area is spoiled in terms of the # of high end dealers but even then, there is a lot of equipment I have wanted to demo and can't.
One of the things I have learned through the years is that I demo'd as many things as I could, especially things that were reviewed. I would read the review, listen and then read the review again to see if I could understand what the reviewer was saying. This helped me understand the relative sound profiles of different equipment.
Once I got my head around that, i was able to read reviews and understand what I was reading and what to expect. This helped me be able to purchase things blindly without being disappointed. In fact, my biggest disappointment was one i listed to extensively at a NYC retailer that did a very poor job of explaining what the room requirements were for the speakers I bought.
Ultimately, I have started my own company. Designed my own speakers and import products I like. I also resell products I like. It has been fun but the business basically was born from unhappiness with high end retailers.
One of the things I have learned through the years is that I demo'd as many things as I could, especially things that were reviewed. I would read the review, listen and then read the review again to see if I could understand what the reviewer was saying. This helped me understand the relative sound profiles of different equipment.
Once I got my head around that, i was able to read reviews and understand what I was reading and what to expect. This helped me be able to purchase things blindly without being disappointed. In fact, my biggest disappointment was one i listed to extensively at a NYC retailer that did a very poor job of explaining what the room requirements were for the speakers I bought.
Ultimately, I have started my own company. Designed my own speakers and import products I like. I also resell products I like. It has been fun but the business basically was born from unhappiness with high end retailers.