Helpful Advice: Don't buy speakers you can't hear first.

very true point!!!

I agree...however..im guilty as charged. I just bought a new set of speakers I have never heard before based on the rep of the maker and the fact that many of the most highly rated speakers in existance are based off a similar model.

I took a leap...we will see if the leap paid off. Music at speaker stores allows you to listen first...and then buy...but at a heavly increased cost due to overhead etc.

Because speakers can stay in the warehouse a long time...they have a huge market up...I have heard over 50% is very common.

I heard that if you buy multiple speakers from the store, they can give you a pretty good discount.

The electronic world is moving toward more ID sellers and less brick and mortar stores. So, with some brands you have no choice! Make sure the speaker manufactior has a good rep AND a liberal return policy...and listen away. What speakers sound like at best buy might not be relevant to how they sound in your room.

I try to listen to speakers before I buy them but from some online places you can't.

With so much research and knowledge online the last 3 pairs I knew exactly what they would sound like before I got them and have always been happy. And think for the most part I'm getting much more bang for my buck buying online and not having a retail markup to boot.

So for me I do buy without hearing first.

I agree with this, and I was full on set on not buying anything my ears coulden't audition first, but with so much good being said about the ID companies it's really hard not to take the risk, and it seems most of them worth trying all offer a 30 day guarantee some of them even longer. Granted it is a bit of a PITA to temporarily piss away 1000+ dollars only to maybe not like return and wait to be credit and start the process all over again, but if you are serious and want what sounds best to you, then i'm sure its worth the wait and hassle, because hopefully in the end you will have a set of speakers that will keep you happy for years to come..

My father has these old sony floorstanders that are 30 years old.. He still is in love with them despite hearing a lot of these newer speakers, hell even I like em, they have a great sound quality for music and to be honest I think they do sound great.

I go a step further: I only buy (well, decide not to return) speakers after auditioning them in my home.

Sure, you use reviews and discussions and specs to narrow down your choices. But you won't know how they will be to live with -- and that's what you're buying into, a long-term relationship -- until you live with them. The influence of room acoustics on speaker sound is profound and not to be underestimated.

No need to be devious about this. It's part of the business model of any Internet-direct speaker vendor, and of many online retailers like Crutchfield. It's entirely practical and above-board to get two or three candidates in at the same time so you can swap them out easily and only make one mess for a week or so.

An understanding wife, or at least one who's overdue to go visit her sister, is helpful, of course.

If you are not extraordinarily picky about the sound, its fine to buy speakers without hearing them first. You just have to do your homework about them. I wouldn't buy a speaker that I didn't know much about without listening first, but a speaker that has wide acclaim, lots of available measurements, or a reference point to something that I do know is good enough for me. I have bought a bunch of speakers without hearing them first, and I have yet to be disappointed, but then I knew what I was getting into before making the purchase decision.