Have you ever used a separate speaker selector unit to audition speakers? Would you?

@ebm I think we’re agreed on that.

If it's just being used to audition/compare speakers, rather than use them in-house long-term, if the different speakers are all hooked up to it, doesn't that level the playing-field?

@twoleftears 
I think it does level the playing field. However, what I take is being asserted as common wisdom means that is not so important.

This is what I gather the common wisdom is:

(a) speaker selectors degrade the sound. The question becomes "how much"? If they don't degrade either too much, then there is something to be learned by using the selector as *one factor.* (We have all compared this way, and I know from my experience that I heard some differences of a general kind worth heeding.)

(b) longer term listening is the primary way to make the comparative judgment. This kind of critical listening takes practice and patience and should not be sidelined by the urge to switch quickly.

(c) longer term listening renders sufficiently solid judgments that it makes what can be learned by quick switching negligible.

Serious point, nowhere near as snarky as it sounds, but when if ever you do get around to actually comparing speakers you will find they are so different in so many ways the whole idea of switching back and forth will seem silly. This is because the range of sonic attributes is essentially endless. Pick any one or two or ten and you can flip back and forth oh this one no that one. But is this anything like what you do when you listen to music? Sure hope not. More likely what you really want is to be carried away. So how are you gonna evaluate that flipping back and forth? Right. You’re not. Can’t.

So why even try?

@miller Hearing your comment as not snarky. Thank you.
I had supposed that if I narrowed speakers down to fairly similar types, the quick switch would be one additional tool to help make some distinctions.

I thought in the past that I had gained *something* by switching, but I would be willing to stipulate that I was not really learning what I thought I was learning. I may learn something by supposing I was mistaken.

You are saying that there is absolutely nothing to gain by using this kind of comparison.

The only question left, it seems, is for anyone else reading this thread, still: Did YOU learn anything by quick switching?