Auditioning Used Equipment - Am I crazy ?

@greenngoldcheesehead Hasn’t anyone ever lied to you before? The dealer didn’t want to audition the amp for you had other reasons than just being snotty. He may have a new amp to sell you with a higher profit margin. Or he may be holding it for another customer who is willing to take it without audition. Or... think of any number of selfish excuses. Clearly your business isn’t important to him.

Keep in mind that being an hi-end audio dealer is an inherently shady way to make a living. You're buying and selling extremely expensive products to an insanely nit-picky crowd. No shortage of neurotic customers demanding only the very best and changing their minds at the last minute. Selling to this market involves a whole lot of BS and nonsense in pitching their products.

I have no advice to give to anyone who buys gear at your prices. I would *NEVER* drop that kind of loot on an amp, even if I had it to spend. Some of the very most extraordinary sound I’ve ever heard in an audio presentation was a pair of properly set up Dutch & Dutch 8c loudspeakers. They retail at about $15k, but it’s THE WHOLE SYSTEM - amps, active crossover, DSP EQ, DAC... Just add a digital source and you’re done. No need for exotic loudspeaker cables, cable lifts, piles of hardware littering the end of your room. Just two speakers on stands, power cabling and hard ether cables going to them. Add your digital source and you have a complete audio system, clean as can be.

I recommend you reach out to Dutch & Dutch and arrange an audition. They’ll bring it out to the house! Guaranteed to blow your mind.

I’ll bet you are attracted because the price is below market. My guess is the dealer took this unit in for trade and may have more in it than he’d like. He boxed it and priced it low to sell on the net and wants no hassle. Figures the brand will sell itself at the right price. Right or wrong, he’s there. Move on. This amp and dealer aren’t the only fish in the sea. For that money lot’s of great amps for sale.

I think it's unreasonable not to demo anything they have in the store, boxed up or not.  Unless it's already sold. If the OP wasn't trying to take it home, that's just not great business. At least the OP didn't actually make the drive! 

There certainly are a lot of online sales within our community, and much of it is $10K and above. To the seller, online was better for him, as he already had it packed. I wonder if that packed amp was sent to him as a trade in and he just left it in the box. All policies on returns, refunds, credits, trial periods etc., all need to be available to the customer...oh, and the insurance liability of shipping damage (very time consuming, ime).  

I'm sorry, I'm headed to work and I didn't read the entire thread yet, but my opinion on auditioning is pretty consistent with what I've done throughout the years when dealing with pieces that ship,  as opposed to stuff that's nearby that I can audition in person. It's only fair that you offer something in return for the favor. The dealer doesn't know you or if you are a tire kicker or Dreamer looking to waste your time- you need to put something on the line like a restocking fee and cover the freight and insurance. He doesn't know if you're going to burn this thing up or hook it up to some homemade wacko component you have. That's a 10 grand item he needs to sell.