Altbrewer...there is no easy answer to your direct question. My suggestion would be to try to audition the speakers whenever business or personal travel takes you to a major metropolitan area that has 3 or 4 high end audio stores that are likely to carry the speakers above. Make arrangements in advance to book some time in their listening rooms with equipment that is similar to yours to the extent possible. There is no way to adjust for different room acoustics and ancillary equipment other than to note where you thought the performance was being impacted by sub-optimal set-up. At the end of the day, there is always some risk when you make a purchase decision if you don't get a chance to audition that gear in your system (which is rarely possible unless you live in a big city and have a good relationship with the local high end stores). The advice above about buying used is one thing to consider as that will limit financial loss if you need to turn around and resell one of these speakers. I would also make sure you have done your research and upfront thinking on matching amplifiers with the speakers selected. The MC501s should be able to drive all the speakers on your list. The MC275s however are likely to have a hard time with almost all the speakers listed above except for the Sophia 3s maybe. Good luck.
How to shop for speakers?
OK, I've got the upgrade bug. My problem is how to evaluate speaker auditions given the limited local choices and the inevitable differences in amplification, room, etc. I have a local dealer who will let me do home audition, but he does not carry 4 of the 5 brands I am interested in after attending RMAF. He is even getting the mfgr to send a pair for my audition. My problem is how do I judge the various speakers given the variability in listening environments and the time lapses between listening. Buying used for home auditioning and selling what I do not like does not seem practical to me given the price range I am looking at - not much available used in this range and too much potential for significant loss with each transaction. Besides what if I sell one I later decide was the best.
My short list after attending RMAF:
B&W 800d or 802d - not so impressed after dealer demo
Dynaudio Confidence C4 - waiting for dealer to get one for demo
Wilson Sasha or Sophia3 - was blown away by the soundstage of the Sophias at RMAF
I would like to audition Revel Salons or Studios or Sonus Faber Elipsa but local dealers are installers and do not have demo capability
My favorite at RMAF was JM Labs Maestro Utopia but they are out of my price range new.
Amplification is McIntosh MC501 ( this makes me a non-audiophile since I read in another thread that audiophiles do not use Mac equipment - I'm fine with that since I really like the music more than the equipment). But, I would like to hook up a MC275 during the hot summer months to listen at low to moderate levels.o
Not sure if this is a gripe or a request for advice, but I will appreciate any guidance that is offered other than the usual " you listen and decide" I already appreciate that.
My short list after attending RMAF:
B&W 800d or 802d - not so impressed after dealer demo
Dynaudio Confidence C4 - waiting for dealer to get one for demo
Wilson Sasha or Sophia3 - was blown away by the soundstage of the Sophias at RMAF
I would like to audition Revel Salons or Studios or Sonus Faber Elipsa but local dealers are installers and do not have demo capability
My favorite at RMAF was JM Labs Maestro Utopia but they are out of my price range new.
Amplification is McIntosh MC501 ( this makes me a non-audiophile since I read in another thread that audiophiles do not use Mac equipment - I'm fine with that since I really like the music more than the equipment). But, I would like to hook up a MC275 during the hot summer months to listen at low to moderate levels.o
Not sure if this is a gripe or a request for advice, but I will appreciate any guidance that is offered other than the usual " you listen and decide" I already appreciate that.