Some stores that will allow auditions of electronics will not allow auditions of speakers. Speakers are bulky things with very delicate (easily damaged) finishes. It is so common for someone to accidentally bump the cabinet and cause damage.
I wonder about those places that sell direct that allow one to audition in home for a month or two with options to return the item. Do they re-package and sell a return item as new? How many cycles before such item is no longer "new"?
A store can offer to loan out a floor model for audition, but, that cannot be for any significant length of time because of the need to have the speaker back on the floor. Something that goes out for such auditions cannot honestly be sold as brand new, so unboxing something that is in stock is not a realistic option.
Some stores don't have a fixed policy, rather, they allow or don't allow in-home auditions based on comfort with the particular customer--if you are a good long-term customer, you can borrow gear. A local store in my area frequently lends gear to regular customers even when the customer is not really shopping and is just curious how a particular piece sounds in his system. I once saw a customer "borrow" an ultra expensive phono cartridge (more than $10k) out of curiosity (I was nervous touching the box, never mind mounting such a scary beast).
