have you ever bought stereo without listening first

Personally, I have not heard the new Belles amp. Currently, the Belles 150a Reference V2's in mono configuration are driving the bottom half of my Legacy speakers. The Belles are great. I bought these in the blind. Nearly all of my purchases are components with good street cred/no audition. Where could one possibility go in this new world to audition a unit anyway? If in doubt, purchase from a company with a liberal trial and good return policy. That Audible Illusions is a wonderful unit. The only reason for selling mine years ago was the lack of remote control. Your system looks to be a winner!

I bought the original Soliloquy 6.3 speakers in I think 2003 unheard. The square corner not rounded and silk dome tweeter. Every other piece of gear and cables has been replaced but the Soliloquy's remain. A good review.
http://www.soundstagenetwork.com/revequip/soliloquy_63.htm

Yup. Pretty much everyting except speakers the last 20yrs as all the audio businesses have either transitioned to custom home theater and don't demo anything, only sell super high end and carry very little stock, sell online only, or have gone belly up. I had to drive 2hrs to listen to my speakers before buying. 

Unexpected. So many responses in the "did not hear it first" camp. I thought it would be just the opposite.

I bought only one pair of speakers hearing them first, and that was by chance. Heard them, liked them, bought them. Everything else was based on looks and features, I guess.

Once upon a time, no.

Of late, yes.

The overall quality of the majority of equipment has risen to the point that only 'nuance' has become the variable.  Generally, the space it exists within has become the major issue...

But I can't hear dog whistles either, so no huge loss imho....