Listening to equipment at home before you buy

Yup..not sure how many more hobbies I can ' pay to play.'

You could try a Pass Labs amp. They are excellent in my system. Contact Mark at Reno HiFi. He is very helpful and will arrange an in home demo.
Reno HiFi is a direct factory dealer for Pass Labs. I have done business with them  twice and am very satisfied. They also have a excellent trade
in policy, best I have seen.

I have no connection with Pass Labs or Reno HiFi.

This is so different from the brick-and-mortar days when I had my shop.  We actually almost demanded that the customer take the item home and listen to it before buying, especially for high-dollar items. I might mention that some manufacturers back then did little to support our philosophy, but it was the only way I felt honest about my business. An unhappy customer was simply not going to result from being "stuck" with a component that did not work in their system--not on my watch, anyway. 

Were we taken advantage of?  A few times, but every Christmas when I sent out the cards, I would "fire" a few customers due to various reasons.  We always "suggested" that they would be better off at someplace else that would "better meet their goals."  Typically, these goals included
paying less than cost for items and not understanding why we had to charge anything at all for some things.  Customers are very interesting... 

With the new shipping paradigm, I feel for you all.  Shipping was a HUGE expense back then and remains so today.  Given the prices for many key components today, I would still want to listen to them IN MY ROOM before plunking down cash for a final sale. I guess our "hobby" just got more expensive, and it seems that some manufacturers are stepping up and working with their direct customers to make it happen.  I still say a brick-and-mortar shop is your best bet IF you are near one.  Cheers!

As a new "audiophile," I have been enjoying reading the many different on-line articles trying to get a an understanding of the relationship between price, sound quality, system synergy, etc and I have found it challenging.  I I am not an electrical engineer but I am a scientist and understand the technical vocabulary that describes the specs of a piece of equipment. I read the reviews of how a particular sound track sounds but ultimately, these "experts" are expressing their personal preferences.

I have visited the two "brick and mortar" stores within 30 miles of my home and recognise I do need to hear what I purchase.

My question the the group is how does a new "audiophile" find their best system at their price point?  There is little chance in today's new or used market to hear equipment.   For that matter what is my price point?  I have the finances to spend 10K on a system but if I cannot hear the difference between 10K and 3K I should stop at the 3K number. 

Good thing I am retired and have the time.