How to audition used speakers???

Thanks for the responses so far. I'm planning on using these speakers for a second system (in my dorm). I will reuse an Onkyo receiver which has an output of only 40 WPC (into 8 ohms, I believe). Since the output of the receiver is small, I'm thinking about some older Klipsch speakers. As a rule, I prefer floorstanders; I feel that you don't need a subwoofer if you have a good pair of floorstanders.

I have a pair of Ohms in my regular system that I bought largely because I got a good deal; I didn't audition anything else. Although I LOVE the Ohms, I want to explore my choices a little more than I did with them. My budget is $250 since this is just for a little room.

I've thought this way Goatwuss, but I can only listen to a small number of brands by going to a dealer. Even if I go to three different dealers, I may only be exposed to a few speakers. What if I'm curious about vintage speakers or speakers that only have one American dealer? For example, there are no Mangepan dealers near me (as far as I know). I'm not sure what to do in this example.

Great posts and great points! Honest1, I think you're totally right; I was worried that Spicas wouldn't fare well only being driven by 40 watts. In a dormroom, I think that abuse could be possible. For those of you skeptical about putting ANY system in a dormroom, this is just a clever way for me to reuse some gear. I'd rather spend $250 for some speakers and reuse this receiver than spend $100 for some crappy computer speakers that I'll hate.

What do you all think of Magnepan, Paradigm, and Axiom?

Thanks Mcpody, will do!

What do you all think of Magnepans for this application?

What do you think of the newer Klipsch floorstanders?