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What do in store listening tests prove?

Please don't take this as the next swipe at retail HT stores. No hidden agendas to boost my ego or salve my conscience. Just a question that I know you all must have more experience with.

When you demo a piece in a theater or studio at a store, what is it really telling you? My instincts suggest to me that all you are really able to validate is how you like the products' sound or performance relative to the the other components it is attached to and the acoustical qualities (or lack thereof) of that particular room setup.

Is there any way to make some educated interpolation of how a product will sound in your own personal listening environment based upon how it sounds in the showroom, short of taking it home and demoing it?

Thanks.
rogocop
inna
7,296 posts
 
Two things:how badly you really want to buy anything and how good this store is.The rest is questionable unless you already know how most components in a particular system sound.
paulwp
585 posts
 
I buy stuff without hearing it anywhere. No problems. In-store - unless, as Tim says, the dealer can make it sound good, there's no reason to consider it. Listen nearfield. If not speakers, listen through speakers you know. In-store demos of speakers are usually enough to discern the character of a speaker, because speakers are very different from each other and their quality shows through even in an unfamiliar room. But, with big speakers with lots of bass, although it's difficult to arrange, an in-home demo is best.
mrwigglewm
60 posts
 
If you bring with you some music you are familiar with and have heard on a number of different systems, you can tell something about transparency, sound staging, extension, and so on. If you are listening to something unfamiliar, it's much more difficult. The easiest way to impress is to play a well engineered recording.
fatparrot
1,314 posts
 
Kinda like taking a new car for a test drive. You won't really know how it will perform once totally broken in, or if it will suit all of your particular driving needs or all driving/road/weather situations. But it will eliminate those vehicles that aren't suitable, leaving you with a short list. And you will get a fairer shake with more knowledgeable salesmen at a good audio/video store!
gs5556
1,234 posts
 
In-store listening is the first step, sort of an introduction to the product that narrows your selection. The second step, and IMO the most important, is to take it home for evaluation to see how you like it in your environment. A repetitive and time consuming process, yes, but considering the price tag, a necessary one. What's the alternative? Buying without trying? Not for that kind of money.
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