What do you take when demoing new gear?


As a relative newbie and also someone who is planning on upgrading my setup soon, I was wondering what you bring with you when you are auditioning new gear.

I will definitely bring some familiar lp`s and cd `s, but do you recommend I also bring my own source components, like a streamer or turntable? Do you ever take your own amps or speakers? What about cables?

Do dealers even allow this?

Thanks for your input!


funkbass4

Showing 1 response by hshifi

Hello,
A lot of these smaller Hifi stores are having a tough time competing with the internet. By me we had two different stores. Holm Audio-https://holmaudio.com/
and Audio Consultants. The later is out of business. With this pandemic we are all going to be staying indoors and buying everything online. No more demos! So please support your local Hifi store if you have one nearby. That being said, Holm Audio listed above lets you demo in your home. From what I’ve seen this is the best way to audition Hifi equipment. You can demo it Saturday to Tuesday. Plenty of time to see and hear if it goes with your system. Your spouse hates black boxes. How about a set of white gloss Revels or Dali speakers paired with a white BlueSound Powernode 2i. You can sneak in the Hegel amp later. I have heard so many people take equipment home to demo and their spouses were telling them they have to buy it. One even said his son and wife were listening with him for three hours straight. Another texted the owner thanking him profusely after auditioning and of course purchasing the complete setup. Hell my wife had tears in her eyes after listening to Solioquy 5.3s and Nordost Blue Heaven for the first time. Remember the first time you had sex. That’s what it’s like hearing your music on nice equipment. Where ever you live search out a store front. If you are near the Chicagoland area, check out Holm Audio. BTW, the gentleman above who bought the complete system lives in Washington state. Listening in your house is the best.