have you ever bought stereo without listening first

It helps to establish relationships with dealers and other audiophiles you trust. For example I talk with Rutan every now and then, trade texts of album covers to exchange music, etc. similar other relationships with dealers in Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Seattle, Santa Monica, San Diego, Atlanta.... you get the idea.
Other audiophiles I trust means for the most part we have heard each others systems and are able to recognize and communicate virtues and weaknesses. Blessed as I am, those number about twenty. After this €£%#??? COVID-19 passes, make an audiophile buddy.
then there are people who I have been to unamplified event in a reverberant space with... we share a very common reference ( and often the music files or tape ) Finally there are people you trust who systems, ( with some common components!! ), !musical taste, lack of ego etc make them sources. Some manufacturers are approachable- I am fortunate to have a connection with Richard Vandersteen ( OP he engineers for a relatively easy load and Belles is if anything over engineered - you have nothing to worry ! ). Manufacturers tend to run in a group so you will see Ayre ( Charlie RIP ), Aesthetix ( Jim ), Brinkmann ( Helmut), AQ ( Bill ), etc run in a bit of a pack - sharing some design principles ( for example DBS, no global negative F/B, built in first order low pass on amplifier, etc) So understanding those relationships is helpful.
Do some work, of course there is a Herron to audition 62 miles from me. I know this because I asked Keith. I bought my Triplaner without hearing it first, based on much of the above. Have fun, enjoy the journey and the music.

Yes I bought a system from soundex
in Pa mid 90s
ibought Aurial 10-T speakers cat signature preamp, markLevenson amp
And 36 cdp,transparent ultra cables and power cords and it sounded fantastic. And got 20% off with no tax .i had to drive over 200 miles to pick it up 
but was well worth the trip 
for around $28k cash. Around 2000 I bought an MBL System 
and Kharma model 1 speakers a superb sounding system .imoved to the UK and had my own Audiostore for 8 years .it has been fun ,now I buy Quality designs and just modify them much bigger bang for $$ spent.for much less.

Yes I have...though I have only purchased items that I could return for a full refund within 7 days.

My experience has been positive and in one case I returned the integrated amp because it didn't provide the appropriate volume - I do listen to music on the louder side.  (And I was a Field Artillery Office like the character Bob from Good Morning Vietnam).

In April, I arranged to have a 7 day test period for a McIntosh C2600 and the improvement in my listening enjoyment - sound quality and functionality - was dramatic so I kept it.

Its your money and your listening experience - take some calculated risks.  Your listening room is the best place to understand if the performance of new kit is worth the investment.

I bought the Quicksilver Headphone amp sight unseen from John at Audio Connection....   one the best purchases ever !!!

I bought every piece of my system without hearing any of it beforehand. Just did research and considered the opinions of my various audio "gurus." I try to get complementary components so that the entire system sounds good. That's the goal, right? The only way to truly hear a component is to listen to it IN YOUR SYSTEM before buying it. That almost never happens, so it's always a crapshoot, but it seems to work out. I've never had anything that sounded bad. Most surprise on the upside. My biggest risk was swapping my McIntosh C2200 preamp and Pass X150.8 power amp for an Esoteric F-05 integrated amp. As expected, there was not a loss in clarity or balance in the sound; just provided the simplicity and smaller footprint I wanted.