What speaker could safely be ordered without hearing it first?
Hi everyone,
I’m in the midst of my speaker search and curious about something.......as noted above. There are some brands I would be interested in based on reputation, reviews, looks etc but may never be able to hear first.
I’m curious what the collective group thinks would be a safe choice having never heard them first. I know there are variables as in size of room, current gear etc. Just want to see what people would suggest. The one I would note based on what I have read is Joseph Audio. I’d also be curious if people would say the same about Borresen.
So it may be a frivolous exercise but I’ll ask the question anyway. Let me know your thoughts.
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How about this: (a) read reviews and forum posts to try to get a ballpark idea (b) search for top candidates used; places like the The Music Room have slightly higher prices but also a two-week trial period. (c) If you don't like them after a time, re-sell for closer to what you would have paid retail. |
I’m going to be a bit of a contrarian... As long as you stay within the same design family, and you’re not too obsessive about the various shades of goodness, and the speakers are generally well-known and discussed, I think it’s a pretty low-risk endeavor. Oh, and you don’t have unrealistic expectations based on a price point. That’s a biggie. Given your current setup, would I purchase a set of Magnepans, or Martin Logans, or even a set of monitors without listening? Probably not. A set of 2 1/2 way or 3-way floor standers with a dome tweeter and cone mid-range / woofers? Sure. If you purchase used, it’s even a lower-risk endeavor (from a monetary perspective). I highly doubt the OP is considering $100k speakers. Audio shows may be the best way to look at equipment, but it’s probably the worst way to listen to equipment. |
op you are right, it isn't a frivolous exercise, but it is a goofy question you can order any speaker (or any component) unheard, you just take the risk that you may not like what it does, then have to dispose of it, at a cost of money and effort this is what the used gear market is all about - you buy what interests you, see if you like it, then resell at a reasonable price if you don’t
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Interesting service, but it must be a challenge to compete with those that are walking into a store and auditioning speakers. I do think that @mtbiker29 should audition speakers using his integrated amplifier. I shopped integrated and speakers as a package and I’m glad that I did because it turns out that the speakers that I purchased are wonderful to listen to, but probably don’t play nice with many amplifiers. I assume that you also have speakers assembled that can be auditioned at your location. |
