Keeping Audiophilia And The Love Of Music Alive & Well!

@oldaudiophile  - I have auditioned by way of purchase multiple large amplifiers (like Lamm M1.2 monos and Clayton M300 monos - each about 100 lbs per amp), many preamps, and also digital front end gear.  There is certainly a cost and risk in shipping them but also a savings in purchasing used.  With speakers, I had a better handle on what I wanted so I have not needed to cycle through multiple heavy speakers.  Your other best options are to listen at audio shows or go on the road to various dealers since it would be rare to find a single dealer who represents a large selection of speaker manufacturers.

It all sounds like a great idea to me but the only problem is all of the unfamiliar rooms, components, speakers, and music involved in such situations. the good thing is that you could compare different components on the same system, but if there is component interaction that is not good you will hear bad sound. A lot of the time a system has to be made to sing and switching out one piece will destroy the magic, it all comes down to assembly and balance to truly achieve a great system, and when you do you will know it.

Stuartk, I understand completely and couldn't agree more! All the shops I've ever purchased any major component from have always had either a 30 day or 60 day full refund return policy and most never had a re-stocking fee for returns. So, I've always felt comfortable doing my due diligence on the reading, research and preparation end and, then, some serious seat-time in auditions before laying down serious or even semi-serious simoleans for a purchase. So far, I've never been disappointed with what I brought home.

I tend to be very compulsive with my reading & research. My friends love to bust my chops about that and just can't understand why sometimes my reading & research will go on for the better part of a year, if not more, before I pull the trigger on something I want. They give me the same grief about my seat-time or shopping habits. Prior to upgrading my speakers a few years ago, I logged somewhere around 19 to 20 hours of serious critical listening time with around 18 different pairs of speakers and, yes, of course, that was in 5 different high-end shops in 2 different states. I like to think I've acquired enough audiophile smarts over the years to be able to factor in variables like different sound rooms, different acoustics, source equipment, etc. I always make a point of controlling for as many of those variables as possible when I make appointments, to the point of specifically requesting which components I want the shops to use if they don't have something exactly like what I have. I even ask them, for example, specifically how I want speakers set up in the sound room. In short, I try to replicate or, rather, approximate as closely as possible, the conditions I have to contend with at home. In this last experience, the speakers I bought actually sound better under my roof than they did in the showroom. I'm blessed with a living room that has good acoustics. I just can't imagine doing anything even close to this by buying a bunch of stuff on-line. I don't trust whatever audiophile skills I think I've acquired to make that kind of educated guess, especially when it comes to speakers. I think I'd be more comfortable doing something like that for an amp or a turntable, if I had to, but I would try to avoid that if I possibly could.  However, as you've said, that's just the way I roll.

@oldaudiophile:

  "I like to think I've acquired enough audiophile smarts over the years to be able to factor in variables like different sound rooms, different acoustics, source equipment, etc. I always make a point of controlling for as many of those variables as possible when I make appointments, to the point of specifically requesting which components I want the shops to use if they don't have something exactly like what I have. I even ask them, for example, specifically how I want speakers set up in the sound room. In short, I try to replicate or, rather, approximate as closely as possible, the conditions I have to contend with at home. In this last experience, the speakers I bought actually sound better under my roof than they did in the showroom".

Sorry for implying you might need assistance-- clearly, you know very well what you're doing ! 

I do a lot of research as well, largely due to the fact that my budget for audio is relatively modest, which means I often look at products from smaller, lesser-know manufacturers, as they may offer more for one's dollar. For example, I first read about Wells amps in a thread about Salk speakers and came across mention of Aqua DACS in a similarly oblique fashion. Jeff Wells shipped me a demo Majestic and Alma Music in San Diego sent me a demo Aqua La Voce. When research led to the conclusion that a SimAudio 280 transport was probably the best choice for my budget, I contacted the closest dealer, who refused to send me one. However, I was able to get one from a shop in Denver. In all three cases seller's flexibility in this regard led to my buying new units. 

I have monitors, so I'm never going to be wrestling with 100 lb cabinets but I can certainly sympathize with the dilemma that demoing such units at home might pose. I lack your self-confidence, however, so I'd still insist upon a home demo, rather than listening in a showroom. 

@stuartk :

No need for apologies! I'm enjoying this insight into how different audiophiles go about their shopping and selection process or processes, as the case may be. Seems like you are going about this in a very cautious, well-informed and well-reasoned fashion which, I'm confident, many other folks who have come to eschew the conventional brick & motor thing probably do, as well. As long as you are pleased with the results, that's really all that matters. More power to you all! I, as I suspect a majority of audiophiles and budding audiophiles, simply do not have the same level of confidence in my audiophile knowledge base or expertise, such as it is, to be courageous enough to forsake the more conventional brick & mortar thing. The folks who do this successfully are obviously much more knowledgeable and adept than I am and, again, I believe most audiophiles fall into this category.

It's unfortunate that some folks who might prefer or really benefit from brick & mortar shopping are precluded from doing so because there are simply no or not enough reputable or good quality audio shops within reasonable proximity to them. Shows or audio expositions would certainly be helpful, as an alternative. I suppose developing good relationships with reputable on-line sellers would be helpful, as well. However, for music lovers struggling with this lack of relatively readily accessible variety of audio shops, music lovers who possibly are not fortunate enough to have quality multi-thousand dollar relatively high-end systems, who maybe have never even heard systems like that before, I think it would be wonderful if there were more venues available to them to explore this and on-going upgrade possibilities. Maybe a bunch of travelling mini audio expositions in the more rural areas of the country would be helpful? I think anything that can be done to support and help this hobby and passion thrive would be a good thing.