How do you pick your gear? Tips and insights are welcome.

I buy used well reviewed, highly regarded, like new speakers that I can get for 40% of retail. I live in a upper middle class area and have been able to pick up  3 month old Canton 9K speakers and a 6 month old technic sug 700 integrated using my benchmark %. Since I had a good system already (Adcom/Snells) I was in no hurry to up my offer and the sellers were interested in moving onan ideal synergy.  

Flexibility to some degree.....and since I wear aids in ears, ultimate performance for myself is ’Do I like what I’m hearing?" is the final arbiter....

I run an odd collection of items I won’t bore with unless PM’d.

Part of what’s amassed is to compare/contrast different speakers with regard to what my diy’s create....that, and it’s just fun to f’round with.

My best investment? SOTA aids in my ears. ’A Mac in my head, $-wise’ beats the jock off of one on the shelf I’d have to eq and room tweak to an extreme....

Have your ears measured by a Good audiologist.....You will be surprised, or at least, made comfy.....

*kicks soapbox aside* Look, I’m off doing The Odd, and enjoying y’all wandering the periphery of what’s possible....informative mostly, entertaining to varied degrees.

If considered a ’tolerable troll’, so be it....been called worse.... ;)

Go forth and do what'cha do, J

Read not only the reviews from thrustworthy reviewers but also users' feedback.  A lot of them.  Do home audition if the manufacturers offer.