What speaker could safely be ordered without hearing it first?

You have not provided nearly enough info to receive an intelligent suggestion.  

One that you can listen to in your home, has a return policy, and you're comfortable with the cost of returning it.

Along with the sellers who have return policies, there are forums out there which have subforums with owners of various speakers and maybe someone near where you live. I've found many audio lovers are very generous (or just lonely?) with their time and are willing to allow auditions. 

I have not read through this thread but my vote is for Legacy Audio Focus SE. there is nothing not to like about this speaker.

Amazon carries a few high end brands too

Something sneaky is going on here, am I the only one? Questions about speakers seems mysterious on a stereo website. Hmmm

The Op may not have taken the class on how to ask a question on here without the premise of the question being the subject of the thread.

Very interesting. Definitely worth whining about.

What’s funny to me is when somebody asks a thousand questions about a person’s wants, needs, and expectations, and never replying back after a lengthy explanation.

Maybe just a gift of edification?

There is no excuse for not auditioning before purchase, unless you can get a dealer/manufacturer to send them to you with a 7 day return policy with no restocking fee.

Somebody mentioned they wouldn’t fly because it would be an expensive plane ticket. What’s the alternative, spend $100k on a speaker and you don’t like it, so you send it back with a 15% restocking fee, which would be $15,000. So what’s more expensive, a plane ticket or the restocking fee?

Or worse case, you can’t return the speakers so you sell them, probably at a 20% loss or more if you can sell them. 
 

Spend a few bucks and go to a few audio shows and listen to as many speakers as you can. Or you can travel to a few dealers that carry the speakers you think you might like, it can be a little vacation and it could save you a lot of money in the long run.

1 more thing, when people ask an open ended question like you did, you could get tens to hundreds of responses all giving you unique set of speakers. How will this help you? Same goes for relying on audio reviews. This is the worst thing you can do since every review of an audio component in a magazine is the best of the best, never a negative review. Again, how is this going to help you make a decision?

Good luck

Same goes for relying on audio reviews

you don't have to be a psychologist to be able to infer the real value of a product, you just need to read a lot of reviews from the same reviewer.

There are dozens of great sounding speakers when paired with the right

amp/dac etc. Some speakers almost everyone likes:

Joseph is at the head of the line.

Falcon LS3

Kef Ref 5

Borresen 

Mofi

Fritz Carrera 7 BE

ATC 50s

Vimberg

Clarysis

Coming soon-

Boan-

Any Proac.  Any Reference3A.

I bought my Focal Kanta 3s online without hearing them & couldn't be happier.

mtbiker29

Really like your "tree" table

$100 boombox 

Unless they have an excellent return policy or aren't too expensive to begin with, I'd say none of them. 

I have a small treated music room (14x14) and I bought Magico A3, unheard anywhere prior to. If I could be happier, I’m too ignorant to know it. However, I did attend an equipment show in Dallas last month and didn’t hear anything I wanted to rush out and trade up for. Driving them with Hegel H590 and mostly streaming with an Innuos rig.

Above a certain price pont all speakers are good, yet there will be differences, and no matter how raving reviews are, your taste may differ.

Best alternative to a listening test at home would be to visit a HiFi show and audition as many speakers as possible there.

But then there still is room acoustics. There simply are too many brands / types, while it’s impossible to audition more than just a couple at home, if any. So, yes, there will always be a level of FOMO, just ask yourself if you can live with that. :)

@mtbiker29 ....Another day, another Gordian Knot to apply KISS....but no implication of your mental status. *S*

Mine, yes.  Acceptable; I've no dog in this show....

Approximately, where do you live?  US flag out the window....'K, somewhere in the US.  Big start, that....😏

If you 'hint', The Collective could suggest B&Ms' to visit?  Plenty of 'IMHO's 'round here...

Budget?  2 sets of nice 'kit'....Moving up, but how high is that?

Maggies' and M/L's suggested; I'm an omni/dipole fan, but RU?  Big differences in that swerve.... ;)  Not to mention the potential changes that may make your existing amp 'obsolete'...*ouch*....

Can't help but notice you've made no real comments about what catches your attention/interest either....

Up to now, we're shooting rubberbands at the moon.

Fun....we all get to air our fav's, fancies/fantasies....

Here's mine:

A 'full dingy' of my DIY Walsh; 4 columns of 2 way drivers, a distributed sub system of 4 units (90 deg. rotation from the columns).

Chuck your amp and pre.  12 'D' amps; 4 for the subs, 8 for the columns (2 per).
Room eq rules all, streaming and whatever else desired for source.

When all is said and done....it'll take a SWAT squad to drag you out to just get some sleep....

What would all this cost?

Why should you care?  Nothing like it would exist, to my knowledge, and imho...

My 'blue sky' is a tad more...'unusual'....but, consider the source...

...and the rest can get back to theirs... ;)

My apologies to all....but, after awhile....🙄😒

Yes, Erik....I’ve not touched any room treats....but I’m a fanboy of Linkwitz when he said:

"Ignore the room...."

I’ve had to do so my entire existence as an ’odd-iophile’, with ’relative’ success.

I see no reason at this point of time and physical reference to stop doing so.

The only way for me to demonstrate such is for U 2B Here.

So there. *L*

*Loud 'poof', requisite cloud*

Closer Acoustics OGY ~1500€. They're transparent AF and 91db sensitive. Better than KEF LS50 Meta in every way for not much more money and any amp under the sun will power them fine. 

A pre-owned speaker, priced at or (preferably) below fair market value, so if it doesn’t work out, you sell it at little to no loss. That’s my philosophy.

The Borresen X-3’s at 137 lbs. ea. and built like a $50,000 speaker actually sound better to me than their $100,000 speaker. At 11 Grand for the pair, they are the best value in the speaker world currently. A beautiful piece of technology and art! Look at the quality of what is out there at $11,000 a pair. Nothing holds a candle to what Borresen is offering. This speaker has  the trickle down technology of their $500,000 speakers.Check them out. PS. there's a wait.

Stealthcraft Mute Specials.

Never buy speakers without listening first.  Nor any other component.

If safe is your goal in both performance and budget (and checking out your room) the latest generation of Mission 770 or Wharfedale Heritage line big baffles are well made MidFi all-rounders. I confess to being a fan of the Peter Comeau IAG designs. This company doesn’t get much play among golden ear audiophiles but the products they’re producing under the English brands they now own are selling very well worldwide for a reason. Wharfedale Heritage Lintons are amazingly musical at any volume.in my high current Mogami cabled system for less than $1.5k for the pair. Took about 100 hours of listening, some DAC tweaking and interconnect clean up but they have exceeded expectations.

As you have a Luxman amp, send them an email asking what they suggest...

The correct answer is "none".

Take Klipsch, Quad, Magnepan, & KEF - all with 50+ years longevity, loads of admirers here, radically different approaches, sounds, amplification needs, optimal room locations...

Or Infinity, Genesis, Thiel, Vandersteen, Linkwitz, Wilson - visionary creations of legendary designers with dramatically different & different sounding products.

There are many, many reputable speaker makers out there.  Your question is not frivolous, but the only "safe" general answer is to confine your choices to the speakers that you've already heard.

However, the more context you give, the more likely folks here can give you specific suggestions of speakers to track down & hear before deciding.

+1 petaluman. Never buy any hi fi product without listening to it first - preferably in one's own system.

The speakers you choose will have the single greatest impact on what your system sounds like. Last time I brought speakers for my main system, I drove 3.5 hours to listen first. Yes, your room will make a difference, yes, your other components will make a difference, but no single thing makes as much difference as your speakers. 

I'd strongly recommend that you do one of 2 things, choose to listen to what dealers around you have or take a trip. As others have said, there are many many excellent speakers on the market, there's probably something near you that will fit the bill, but I'd not, take a trip with your wife. Go to a city with multiple stores. Take her out for a nice dinner and listen to some speakers. 

Rockport of course. Check out the reviews and comments on the forums. Universally praised as some of the best speakers made. Good luck !

Vandersteen

I think this is an important thread, because the reality is that for many of us, it is very difficult to audition speakers in your home with your equipment, the only way to really be "safe."  While that is certainly the best approach to a major purchase, if you deem that it is not feasible, you have received a lot of good advice for alternatives. Listening at a show, or probably better, at a dealers store would probably be worth a bit of a trip.
You are probably safer, meaning, the result will be more predictable, if you buy high quality speakers from an established manufacturer, such as Sonus Faber, Focal, Magico, Wilson, and many others. These brands are more likely to have a predictable house sound. Obviously, something a little more esoteric will be less predictable.

This topic is one more reason to lament the shrinking number of high end, brick and mortar Audio stores. 

This is like ordering a mail order bride! Don't do it!

Since I like to 'compare and keep', I bought an SVS center speaker so I could compare with my current and took advance of they really 'no questions asked' try at home police. Ordered. Tested for 2 weeks. Put back in box. Received return label. Mailed back. Refund. Super easy. 

a smart person will never do that, but the mind comes with experience... unfortunately most audiophiles make their purchases based on the opinions of people they don't even know (critics from advertising articles, sellers from electronics forums) .... then disappointment, sale and buying new devices...
after a few years, such people themselves give generous advice to beginners))) - they sell their scrap metal to them and get cursed ...

Anything Sonus Faber. 

I have always felt comfortable buying B&W speakers without hearing them and have done so several times but I agree with many above who say don't buy speakers without auditioning them first.

@mtbiker29 

What price range would be acceptable for you?

I am not trying to be a shill for Stereophile, but I starting out looking at the Recommended Components for a good start. I bought my ONLY speaker without  listening to them. They were Quad S2, and love them. They are not my primary speaker, but I do, play them on my second system often with a SET amp. Just wonderful sound.So, IMO, anyone can design a expensive speaker that sound good. But, its harder with cheaper alternatives. Just a guide, but I figured the class sections helped me.

I can't hardly imagine buying a new (unused) expensive pair of speakers ($10k+) without hearing them first - or at least a model by the same manufacturer. If someone has a budget like this then they should be able to swing going to an audio show or making a trip to a dealer.

But when you get into the clouds regarding a speaker upgrade it's not practical to audition them at home with a return privilege. My favorite speakers at this point are MBL 101 E Mk II (I've heard them at two audio shows) and the nearest dealer is over 1000 miles away. Even if they would let me do this I wouldn't take them up on it. OMG, what if I damaged one? Not to imagine the hassle of uncrating them and then repacking them if I wanted to return them. Who's going to pay the LTL freight of over $1000?

On the other hand, if you are buying from a dealer and you can offer them a low friction transaction (no audition, no return privilege, no delivery or home setup) then you should be able to ask for a significant discount. If you can drive to their location and pick up the speakers it's even better. If you are buying mail order then you you can shop for the best price. If you are buying a large heavy pair of speakers used then the seller is probably requiring local pickup. In this case you can at least make sure they work before you pay for them and you are getting a substantial discount from new price.

Bottom line, there is no way I'm going to restrict my audio purchases to gear that I can audition at home. I just bought a Jay's Audio CDT3 Mk III transport that was shipped from China. There is simply nothing else on the market like this transport and I was willing to believe the reviews and take a chance. I totally love this thing. If I restricted myself only to gear that I could audition I would have missed out on this incredible component and many of the best components in my system.

Any speaker can be safely ordered provided you can return it.

For sure when i spoke about buying speakers on reviews analysis , i spoke about relatively low cost speakers...

i dont have the money to buy high cost speakers anyway...

What i know is in many cases it is better to buy relatively low cost good speakers with acoustic basic knowledge in a dedicated room than to buy high cost speakers put in a living room... 😊

Speakers design matter yes, but is of no great use in a living room sometimes... No living room is the same for sure but...

Speakers/room relation for me was the discovery...not just the speakers design...

i always looked for speakers/room soundfield filling the room out of the speakers plane with the intimacy and details of headphone... And i always look for an headphone with a soundfield filling the room out of the head and with speaker like realism...

the headphone case is the harder bill to fit acoustically... Almost all headphones are failure... At least the 9 i bought, save one...I never listen to 5,000 bucks headphone, but reading the reviewers attentively dont put any shade on my AKG K 340 the most mythical flagship of AKG history... No it is not the K1000... Because headphone must have very deep bass too to be speaker like...

i know because i succeeded to reach these acoustic level to seme satisfying degree in the two journey speakers and headphone ... Acoustic basic knowledge beat most price tag..not all but most... 😊

Recommanding brand names is usdeless, because there is many very good speakers brand name... But there is only one room : the owner room... And his ears will be in the obligation to couple and pair the speakers to the room...nevermind their brand name...

I bought my Volti Razz without hearing them previously. 

Original plan was to attend an audio show to audition them. That plan fell though. 

I arranged with "Greg the creator" to come and visit and have a listen. It was a drive sure, but I've driven plenty to go look and sometimes buy sports cars... so what's really the difference I thought?? If I'm not satisfied or turned off in anyway no big deal, I just keep my money and keep looking. (just like hunting for a special car). 

In the long run taking the drive to meet Greg, listen to his amazing creations, visiting the super cool shop floor, and having some tasty Mexican was more economical than going to a show anyway. For me the experience and the hunt was a wonderful memory.

I'd like to put it out there. If you are interested in hearing the Razz, or even say my current set up. (Margules ACRH3, Line Magnetic LM 24 CD, MoFi Ultradeck and Parasound JC3 jr. pre and you live within a decent drive of NE Ohio, I'd be happy to host. And no, I'm not an Ax murderer.. 

There are different types of speakers. Horn, electrostatic, powered, regular and menthol to name a few. If I was to buy with no prior hearing I would at least know what flavour I prefered. Naturally the room will color a great deal.

Big Magicos, Focals (fast) or maybe Big Sonus Fabers might land well in my new upcoming treated room. I like those brands that I have been able to hear. Many folks like what they have or hanker for. I’m a big proponent of subs.

Fot a big purchase like killer speakers get thee but out (even far away) and check out some speakers. You could be a horn man or not!

I’d very seriously consider upgrading the bluesound and steaming supporting components first/too. You could be amazed. 

With few caveats, loudspeakers from Legacy Audio may be safely ordered without hearing based on reputation, reviews, build quality, cosmetics, etc. As OP, @mtbiker29 , already mentioned, room size and existing (or planned) gear must be considered. For example, I agree with @falconquest about the Focus SE; however, as a long-time owner of various Focus models, I can tell you that they are not ideal near-field monitors. Ear to tweeter distance must be at least ten feet for all six drivers to fully integrate. If you are in a 15 x 10 ft room, you probably don't have space for them to perform optimally. Buy one of Legacy Audio's smaller models instead.

A few folks, including Randy (The Cheap Audio Man) claim that Legacy Audio speakers have had an issue with sibilance based on auditions at audio shows. I would take observations like this with a grain of salt since a lot of factors come into play, including what music happened to be playing at the time. Put more trust into observations from folks with long-term experience listening to Legacy Audio speakers.

Apart from that, I've not found anyone who had anything negative to say about Legacy Audio. They have been around for a long time and are kind-of a sleeper brand. Not the most cutting-edge brand name, but Bill has been continuously innovating and improving his time-tested designs with better parts and technology. I've owned four different versions of the Focus loudspeaker over the past 23+ years and each one has been a substantial leap forward from its predecessor. I'll probably be a Legacy Audio customer for life.

I love headphones and have a great headphone system as well as a 2-channel system.

Headphones will never, ever, sound like speakers and speakers will never, ever sound like headphones. They're not meant to, and most people who use headphones do not expect them to; they are two entirely different ways of experiencing music. 

I would say any speaker that is returnable for a reasonable amount of time.  You must be willing to lug the speakers back to the store or to a shipping center, and possibly pay return shipping and/or a restocking fee.  FWIW, I bought my current speakers, Ohm Walsh 2000s, without hearing them first.  I based my decision on carefully reading the lengthy thread on Ohm speakers here on the 'gon.  As I read, owner's descriptions kept pushing all of the right buttons for me.  So, with Ohm's 120 day return option, I took a chance.  Plus, since I don't live too far from Ohm's Brooklyn, NY, headquarters, if I wanted to return, I could bring them back by car.

That was in late 2009.  Once they broke in, I fell in love.  Still have them, and have never had a desire to upgrade.  To do better, at least IMHO, I would have to spend way more than I could possibly afford.  Plus, over the last dozen years, they have responded quite well to upgraded electronics, tweeks, and cable upgrades.  Life is good.  Having more time to listen would make it even better.

Love the graphic next to your screen name

Phish is great!

Best of luck

@mtbiker29 , no. Just no.

As others have mentioned, there is no substitute for auditioning candidate speakers. Case in point: I was intrigued by a certain open baffle speaker vendor's product. Reviews are mostly positive and the quality seemed to be good. Then last year I heard a pair at PAF and was sorely disappointed in what I heard. And it wasn't just the room. They just didn't sound good to my ears.

The moral of the story here is, if you do order up some speakers, I'd be very clear on what the return/exchange policy is.

Good luck and... Happy listening.