@stereo5 The thread started off great and I received a lot of sincere and informative replies, all of which I appreciate.
Lately, there were some attempts to hijack the discussion, but that's just a fact of life of online discussions. Those things can be ignored.
What follows is a general reply to several questions I saw.
I feel like I have received sufficient information now. I have a nice list of candidate floorstanding speakers. I just need to process all the info for a week or two and have some email or phone discussions with the sellers I want to do business with, then I will make a decision and place my order.
I met (via email) a fantastic seller on Amazon today who runs a brick and mortar home electronics store on the West coast (USA) and has been in business for more than 100 years!
They have a 100% positive feedback rating on Amazon, are a Trusted Store at Shopping.com, a CNET certified reseller, etc. The staff is knowledgeable and helpful. I can reach them by phone or email. And I can order through Amazon.
This is just one example of several sellers I like on Amazon's marketplace.
My final decision will be a confluence of the suggestions here, my reading of reviews of those products, and my discussions with the sellers I like on the Amazon marketplace. (I may also try to visit a Best Buy before making my final decisions, but so far these independent sellers on the Amazon marketplace are doing a great job of earning my business.)
I'm sure I will get criticized for not making my purchase decision based on listening to the speakers in a dealer's showroom, but that is probably not a practical / convenient option for me. (My closest Best Buy does not have a Magnolia showroom, for example.)
Furthermore, from what I have read, the room itself makes a lot of difference. It is possible that the speakers will not sound the same in the dealer showroom as in my listening room. Therefore, it is possible that I would want to return the speakers whether I listen first or not.
BTW, I am explicitly communicating with the online sellers and selecting only those who are OK with the small probability that I will want to return the speakers.
Lately, there were some attempts to hijack the discussion, but that's just a fact of life of online discussions. Those things can be ignored.
What follows is a general reply to several questions I saw.
I feel like I have received sufficient information now. I have a nice list of candidate floorstanding speakers. I just need to process all the info for a week or two and have some email or phone discussions with the sellers I want to do business with, then I will make a decision and place my order.
I met (via email) a fantastic seller on Amazon today who runs a brick and mortar home electronics store on the West coast (USA) and has been in business for more than 100 years!
They have a 100% positive feedback rating on Amazon, are a Trusted Store at Shopping.com, a CNET certified reseller, etc. The staff is knowledgeable and helpful. I can reach them by phone or email. And I can order through Amazon.
This is just one example of several sellers I like on Amazon's marketplace.
My final decision will be a confluence of the suggestions here, my reading of reviews of those products, and my discussions with the sellers I like on the Amazon marketplace. (I may also try to visit a Best Buy before making my final decisions, but so far these independent sellers on the Amazon marketplace are doing a great job of earning my business.)
I'm sure I will get criticized for not making my purchase decision based on listening to the speakers in a dealer's showroom, but that is probably not a practical / convenient option for me. (My closest Best Buy does not have a Magnolia showroom, for example.)
Furthermore, from what I have read, the room itself makes a lot of difference. It is possible that the speakers will not sound the same in the dealer showroom as in my listening room. Therefore, it is possible that I would want to return the speakers whether I listen first or not.
BTW, I am explicitly communicating with the online sellers and selecting only those who are OK with the small probability that I will want to return the speakers.