How do you pick your gear? Tips and insights are welcome.

Nothing is more important than your ears.  Demos and auditions are the key.  A friend group of like interested folks is also a great way to hear what different gear can and can't do.

For speakers size, brand, that fits my room and budget.For gear preamp and amp make sure they will match the speakers. Source I prefer brand new especially for SAcd players, transport because lasers do deteriorate in time.For cables I prefer to hear them how they will match the system. Except source I prefer used to save money. Does  sale people has influence on my decision if they are knowledgeable and honest yes. For the most part no. Technical measurements not really, it’s the performance of the gear that influences me.Aways listen first before I buy only if accessible.Why going to Axpona helps because many manufacturers showcase their products and for three days you have the opportunity to hear them. Shows helps a lot.

Personally, I learn about new gear becoming available via YouTube videos, and I watch reviews on there and do further research in online articles, forums, etc. If I can, I'll try to audition, but that sound in the shop may not be at all what it sounds like in my room, and much of what I'm interested in is not available for me to hear locally anyway. I also look for a good return policy in case I'm dissatisfied.... 

Each of my pieces of gear has a different story. Back in the day (25 years ago), there was a good dealer in KC that had a nice mix of products to demo. I discovered Von Schweikert as a result. I bought my current Von Schweikert based on reviews and my familiarity with the company (and conversations with Damon Von Schweikert). I discovered Coda about the same time as my first set of Von Schweikert. I bought my current Coda based on my familiarity with the brand and conversations with Doug Dale (great guy). My LTA MicroZotl preamp was recommended to me by a friend I met on a conrad-johnson FB page. I also checked out reviews. Other gear was selected based on review or just a gut feeling and a roll-of-the-dice. I’ve purchased some cables that didn’t pan out, but I’ve done well with the hardware, I think.

Good question!

Personally, I synthesize lots of information from all available sources.  Of late I also use AI tools, mainly Poe web search,  to help sort through it all in an unbiased manner.  Fun fun fun!  🍾

I read about equipment all the time and ask people questions to whose own the gear. I have received lots of great advice from members on AG and end up reading all their posts. It is more about matching the equipment to my preferences. If I can listen to it, then obvously I do.  If not, I just buy it and try it. It is always fun to get, set up, and listen to new gear. Usually, I like it and keep it, but if I don’t, I can either return it or re-sell it, or just live with it for a bit - not the end of the world. At this level, it is ALL GOOD, just different flavors so I just listen and enjoy and learn. Sometimes the mistakes teach me more than the good choices. If I pick the wrong component, I can listen for a year and then swap it out. Either way, I am having fun and listening to high-end gear.

I pick my gear only after I have consumed a lot of adult beverages, it's my cardinal rule.  The darnedest gear shows up at my door step sometime later and I just shake my head... I did it again.  Great gear comes and great gear goes, I am just along for the ride and it is whole lot of fun along the way.  You could say that I really don't overthink my gear acquisitions. 

I like visiting dealers.  I appreciate hearing things in person.  The last few transactions were with local dealers.   DAC,  CD Transport, Cartridge, and  Pnono pre.  I got really good deals on all.  

I try to buy something for the long haul, it doesn't always work out but I'm happy with the items mentioned with no desire to upgrade anytime soon.   I think it's  mostly because I heard them in person, then in my home with option to return.    

I read reviews, but more to learn about the feature set , capabilities,  etc.   I let my ears decide.  

I have a dealer that I trust which is a big help. I read reviews, watch videos and read forums like this, which helps to get an idea of the list of equipment to try to hear. Ultimately, nothing replaces hearing the component, preferably in your own room, but sometimes that is not possible. Doing research and getting advice can be very helpful in composing the list, but I think you have to be a little careful with how much that influences your decision. Trust your ears. People tend to recommend what they have chosen for themselves, quite naturally, as there is a lot of self affirmation in that. This is a very subjective hobby, however, and everyone has a different set of ears. Ultimately, it’s a matter of choosing well built components that fit your budget and sound the best to your ears, not someone else’s.

Online reviews; owner reviews; video reviews; decide, then purchase (almost always) used.

I think listening to the equipment first doesn't really work well as there are very few hi-end brick and mortar stores, and even if there is one near you the chances of them carrying what you want to listen to is not likely.

Buy, try, sell (or keep).

I look at the measurements on ASR then I send an email to the minion leader asking for his permission to buy the equipment.

No seriously, I read reviews and then audition the equipment, hopefully with the same or similar equipment that I own.

First, it takes a long time, say a year or two. YouTube reviews, assorted Bulletin Boards, on-line reviews, manufacturer inquiries. I am looking for reviewers who cut through nonsense. Eventually, it is a product that gets frequently recommended, fits my needs/wants. Typically, there is a lot of back on forth in my mind, and then suddenly there is clarity. That's when I order it. 

I bought a Holoaudio May DAC L2 based on goldenear's review, following his debunking of MQA. Contrast that with Hans B., heavy on the MQA bandwagon and going on about jitter (is that even audible?).

Bought PearlAcoustics Sibelius speakers based on assorted reviews and being intrigued by 1-way Voight tube design, plus solid wood construction as a wood worker. Plus the most wonderful interaction with Harley Lovegrove. Love those speakers.

Bought a Rega Naia package based on Harley's shoot-out, CheshireAudio, Sales rep. Was a bit against my original thinking (heavy vs. light), and in the end went for top of the line light. 

Listening to equipment is a pipe dream. Is not happening. At shows they do not have the equipment I am interested in, dealers can't set up true comparison systems. So it is a bit of a shot in the dark.

Recommendations by sales people generally is disappointing. They will only recommend what they sell (obviously), so you will never get the full picture. I bought a PrimaLuna 300 pre, but for power went with Pass XA25. The only dealer for PL is not selling Pass, so they will never suggest the combo. Was through Harley, London shop video, and a bit of California state bias (I live in CA, where Pass is at home), that I selected it. 

Looks are a minor component. E.g. Macs are out because they are the worst combination of ostentatious and ugly. One reason I selected the Pass XA25 is because it does not have meters.

I buy used well reviewed, highly regarded, like new speakers that I can get for 40% of retail. I live in a upper middle class area and have been able to pick up  3 month old Canton 9K speakers and a 6 month old technic sug 700 integrated using my benchmark %. Since I had a good system already (Adcom/Snells) I was in no hurry to up my offer and the sellers were interested in moving onan ideal synergy.  

Flexibility to some degree.....and since I wear aids in ears, ultimate performance for myself is ’Do I like what I’m hearing?" is the final arbiter....

I run an odd collection of items I won’t bore with unless PM’d.

Part of what’s amassed is to compare/contrast different speakers with regard to what my diy’s create....that, and it’s just fun to f’round with.

My best investment? SOTA aids in my ears. ’A Mac in my head, $-wise’ beats the jock off of one on the shelf I’d have to eq and room tweak to an extreme....

Have your ears measured by a Good audiologist.....You will be surprised, or at least, made comfy.....

*kicks soapbox aside* Look, I’m off doing The Odd, and enjoying y’all wandering the periphery of what’s possible....informative mostly, entertaining to varied degrees.

If considered a ’tolerable troll’, so be it....been called worse.... ;)

Go forth and do what'cha do, J

Read not only the reviews from thrustworthy reviewers but also users' feedback.  A lot of them.  Do home audition if the manufacturers offer.

Usually I purchase what I know, what has some familiarity. Had a Marantz HT receiver for 10 years. When that stopped working, got another Marantz to replace it, but went a couple models higher. 

Same generally goes for my 2ch, got something cheap that looked cool, had good reviews. If I like it, might try to upgrade to a higher model or line. My first TT as a adult was a Pro-Ject, so after 6mo, upgraded to a far better Pro-Ject, have been very happy with it. 

Usually that method gets me what I'm looking for with low risk. Since I generally want the top of any line, usually get stuff used. 

I try to read as many head to head comparisons I can and cross reference them.

I read the professional reviews also but only if they compare against a reference component.

Mostly try to read as many user reports I can find.

I watch Jay’s audio Channel on YouTube. Is most knowledgeable about high-end gear. The gear is really pretty and very very expensive. Eastern

Truth is get to know a dealer really well and speak to other dealers about products and learn learn learn. They tend to know a lot and many are willing to talk to you. Always stretch to a higher level along the food chain and avoid the costly process of upgrading which you no doubt will if you start too low on the food chain.

Also pick a topic and search it here on the forum and many responses are really helpful as there are some exceptionally bright people who frequent this forum. I'm struck by how some of these individuals know a lot of shit.   

I actually went on a HIFI spending spree this year. I spent more on two components this year than I’ve spent over the last 49 years of participation in this hobby. That’s not completely true. For about thirty of those years I was an absentee “audiophile”. The equipment required to produce what I thought was the sound I wanted was out of both my budget and incompatible with my living situation so I just changed focus to whatever is good enough.

Over the last decade as both my living situation and disposable income increased I learned thru experience how wrong I was about what I valued in stereo equipment. Big power amps and tower speakers didn’t sound as good to me as a SET tube amps and horn speakers. ( For over forty years I thought horn speakers were the devil and were better used for removing paint from the walls. )

So how did I purchase these two components. I basically thru reading forums such as this, watching youtube and reading reviews of all kinds of equipment for over a decade, I taught myself what type of products produced the sound signature I preferred. I had gone from Raspberry PI DAC, to an MHDT tube R2R DAC to a PSAudio MK1. After reading all the posts about upgrading this DAC I was sure that replacing the transformers and all the tweaks was the way to go. I actually tried to buy one but had such a bad experience with the seller that it made question his credibility so I went another way. In my research I read a paper about how Mojo DACs output was different than other types of DACs and it was on sale so unheard I spent double of what I had planned on spending for the MK1 upgrade.

I also spend a lot of time listening and tweaking and researching why this tweak changes the sound and this other tweak makes no difference. For reference I’d gone to several high end audio stores imposed on several Agon members just to listen. After I’d confirmed I was really on the right track of what I preferred I actually went to the builder to listen to what I thought I wanted. He of course first played a different amp (at double the price) of what I thought I wanted. At that point I couldn’t go back. So I bought it.

So after a short novel.

I research experiences not gear.

I go with my gut. If the experience doesn’t feel great I move on.

Study, compare, read, read some more and don’t rush

Follow the rabbit trail. You don’t have to agree to gain insight

Don’t be a sheep. Make your own trail it’s your stereo after all. It’s all about what sounds good to you

Have an understanding wife. Everything is expensive in the long run an equitable plan will allow you to get a lot more enjoyment if everyone is on board.

I used to do the standard thing of reading reviews and forum posts. I also bought and sold a lot of gear in the past 5 years and heard them in my space. That all worked well but these days when I need something I first check on the Schitt web site to see if they have what I need. I have sold off a few pieces that cost a lot more money than the Schitt item that replaced it.

For example, the 2 Yggi+ DACs, 2 Aegir amps (headphones), Mjolnir v3 preamp (headphones). That is over $20k in expensive gear replaced by under $5k in gear. 

I read as many reviews from as many different places as I can, focusing on objective measurements first followed by a listeners impressions. Where I live there are no serious audio stores within 3 hours from me, so auditioning is not really an option. That means everything is being auditioned in my home and I am nearly always buying new so I avoid the unforeseen problems that can occur with buying used. Warranties are a good thing if the company is good, often not worth the paper they are written on. I have read so many horror stories about poor customer service from companies like Denton, Yamaha, Marantz that I have written off most of them as unacceptable risks. That said, because sometime over the next year or two I will be replacing almost everything that was in my home with new, I am reading as much as I can and also rethinking how to do things so I end up in a better place than I was before the fire. Sometimes less is more and I am likely going to test that idea and see how it suits me.

@oberoniaomnia

RE: "Listening is a pipe dream".

Upscale Audio is one CA dealer that offers a return policy.

There are plenty of others online.

Audio gear purchasing need not, by definition, be a "shot in the dark" -- it’s your choice, ultimately.

For me, buying without a home demo does happen, but it's extremely rare.

Not saying what you ought or ought not do, just pointing out there are options.

I have auditioned every piece of equipment in my system in my home and every component came from a dealer in another states with the exception of my speakers. It can be done. Naysayers are foul o the crap and did not even try to do the work. Home auditions will save a tone of money and earache. 

@suartk Re Upscale, I tried to set up a demo with plenty of lead time for some TTs when I had something else going in LA. They flat out would/could not do it. So in-store demo is a pipe dream. It is not possible anymore if you have something specific in mind.

The question I had is "do TT plinths have different sounds?" So I asked them to set  up a couple of rigs with same cart, same PS, same amp, same speakers (all their choice) just different plinth-arm. They could/would not do that. Said they do not have the material for that. In theory, I would have loved to see whether I can hear ANY difference, regardless of room. So much for providing education to potential customers. How it sounds in my room vs. dealer is secondary to whether I can hear any difference in dealer show room. That's why I consider dealers rather useless.

I still don't know whether I can hear differences in plinths. People argue there are differences, but I do not have first hand experience with that, despite trying.

Side-by-side comparison with multiple $20-40K rigs with intention of returning a few, that is equally a non-starter. Doing it over longer time, one at a time, raises the issue of long term audio memory being infamously poor. So you would need all the gear at the same time. And that is where dealers might come in. But they fail me as the customer.
Re ordering something with some >>0 probability to return it, I would not call that a demo. And upscale coming to my house with a few rigs to set up and run through, that is also a non-starter. 
So I did my due diligence with assorted reviews and bought a Naia package. Unheard, but with decent expectation of success. I'm happy with the end result.

Same with several other purchases from upscale. Specific demos is just not happening. Sorry. That is my experience.