Is it important to long demo or own HIGH END gear to have a fair accurate view about it?

@jafant long time no talk to my friend. Well I’m letting the pilium integrated and soulution 746 cd player  get some hours on each in my system before I start grading with each. Will listen for a week and then play with power cords a little on each component. This will be interesting. The Pilium is 230 pounds. Took 2 guys to carry it in.  The Soulution 746 cd player has its own power supply. I owned the 540 previous before I purchased the INFIGO AUDIO METHOD 4 DAC. My dac has a very open airy sound with great space and decay. Will see how this pairing of the Pilium and Soulution 746 works out. 

Is it important to long demo or own HIGH END gear to have a fair accurate view about it?

This seems somewhat backwards. Don’t we usually research gear first then purchase to try in our audio chains? Then subsequently we’d discover if we like the change? Agree it’s always best to demo in one’s own audio chain.

@mahgister i understand your point. But with that being said. I mean highly engineered equipment that sells at higher price points because of the alleged build quality and technology etc. 

i understand you too and if i could i will buy better speakers than what i already own even if after my modifications i am more than happy ...

My low cost speakers will not beat my past Tannoy dual concentric acoustic potential embedded right ...

My point was only made to put emphasis on acoustic basic more than on price tag and better quality design ... Between the extreme and the TOP of gear there is the majority of average products neither  mediocre nor highly refined... Here acoustic knowledge make a huge difference ... Thats my point ...

I never negated the common place fact that we get also what we pay for ... Common place fact are implicit and i dont need nor to endorse them nor to repeat them , anybody know that... But few people has experienced the huge transformative power of acoustics ...( not mere few panels on a wall as most thought, thinking about acoustics)

I wish you a happy new year with plenty of luck and a good health for you and your family ...😊

@mahgister i understand your point. But with that being said. I mean highly engineered equipment that sells at higher price points because of the alleged build quality and technology etc.

"Long demo"...Hmm, depends on the type of gear (from the gross to the subtle), i suppose. Speakers and amps, I can fairly quickly say ’not for me, get it outta here". I won’t waste your time. DACs, for instance...especially if they are above a certain pricepoint and threshold for fidelity (i.e., things start to get a lot subtler), I may need to audit it for a couple of months. I’ll listen to a dac for a week, swap to the next for a week, swap back for a week, etc. Many a time, it is fairly difficult to even articulate why one appeals more to the taste buds than the other.

So...almighty dealers, do you mind loaning out demo dac units, for example, (’Hhhhhigh end’ n all) for 45 to 60 days at a time?? Would that work with your business model or would it frazzle your feathers a bit too much? If not, that’s ok, you can keep it. ;) How about that 'very very subtle' 20k speaker cable?? If not, that’s ok, you can keep it ;) ;)

You see boys...this is why it helps to network/have a friend circle of dudes who’ll loan you gear and vice versa. It is a "no pressure, audit at leisure" solution that helps you learn about what you like or not.

Manufacturer & other audio nerds in town = friend

Dealer = ________ (it’s complicated, fill in the blanks as you see fit)