How to evaluate speakers?

Some great suggestions above. You might also check out Chesky's "The Ultimate Demonstration Disk." It contains a dozen or so well-recorded pieces, each selected to focus on a particular characteristic (presence, depth, transparency, etc.), and each preceded by an introduction advising what specifically to listen for and how the piece "should" sound on a good system. For me, this CD has been not only useful in comparing gear, but educational as well.

Buy some Green Mountain Europias, or Harmonic Precision Caravelles and use them as references! Hee Hee!

Thanks for all the replies.
One question. Will it make a difference if I connect one set of speakers to the speaker output A and the other to the speaker output B of my amplifier and use the speaker select switch to switch between speakers?

Thanks.

Using the A/B speaker selector switch should not make a difference. Just make sure that you listen to the speakers at the same volume level, because most people will choose the louder speaker as the better sounding speaker. So you may need to experiment a bit before you get into serious listening, for example volume level 3 for speaker A may be the equivalent of volume level 4 for speaker B.

Good luck, Rich

First, it would be helpful if you do some blind listening - that is, where you don't know which speaker is which. Use single speaker vs. single speaker, as it probably won't be posssible to position two pairs of speakers for comparable sound in your room. Ideally, have an assistant put the two speakers side-by-side behind a thin curtain and switch back and forth between them at your signal, adjusting the volume as necessary so that you won't know which is which.

It's perfectly legitimate to listen to single speaker vs single speaker, as there is a very strong correlation between single speaker preferance and stereo speaker preference. If you don't have a mono switch, buy a Y-jack from Radio Shack to make sure both speakers get the same signal. You can switch from one speaker to another easily by feeding the split signal into different inputs (say CD and AUX 1). Using a Radio Shack SPL meter and a pink noise test disc, make sure you match up the levels.

Also during your listening tests, try this: Turn the volume level down way lower than normal, and see if one speaker sounds better than the other. There's a good correlation between low-level enjoyment and long-term fatigue-free listening. Then, turn the volume level up a bit louder than normal, and leave the room. Listen through the open doorway. Is there a convincing illusion of live music happening back in there? If so, that indicates smooth reverberant field response and good dynamic contrast, and is a very good predictor of long-term listening enjoyment.

Best of luck to you!

Duke