Auditioning speakers and returning the ones you don’t like

curtiswhite said:

Quick question. I am in the market to purchase new speakers (bookshelf’s). Is there anything wrong with ordering two or three pairs of speakers at the same time to audition them in the room and then returning the ones that did not sound great ? Given that the return policy allows for it (prime or some other site, store). What are everyone’s thought on this ?

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It's highly recommended to do exactly that, especially if you're completely new to this hobby and have no idea what sound signature you like.

In which case, I'd recommend trying 3 speakers that offer contrasting sound signatures: perhaps a "warm" speaker, a "neutral" speaker, and a somewhat "bright" or "forward" speaker. Although if your usage is more HT/TV than music, you can skip the "warm" speaker unless you have a known sensitivity to strong treble and/or have a highly reflective room.

curtiswhite said:

Quick question. I am in the market to purchase new speakers (bookshelf’s). Is there anything wrong with ordering two or three pairs of speakers at the same time to audition them in the room and then returning the ones that did not sound great ? Given that the return policy allows for it (prime or some other site, store). What are everyone’s thought on this ?

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In this day and age it is expected and part of the business plan.

Crutchfield encourages it and is very easy to deal with on returns which are very inexpensive ($10/box for bookshelves and $75/pair for towers within 60 days).

Have not returned speakers to any other site so can't comment.

curtiswhite said:

Quick question. I am in the market to purchase new speakers (bookshelf’s). Is there anything wrong with ordering two or three pairs of speakers at the same time to audition them in the room and then returning the ones that did not sound great ? Given that the return policy allows for it (prime or some other site, store). What are everyone’s thought on this ?

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Nothing wrong with that. People do it all the time, and it's the only way to know whether you'll like a speaker's sound: by listening in your own space with your own equipment.

Zorba922 said:

It's highly recommended to do exactly that, especially if you're completely new to this hobby and have no idea what sound signature you like.

In which case, I'd recommend trying 3 speakers that offer contrasting sound signatures: perhaps a "warm" speaker, a "neutral" speaker, and a somewhat "bright" or "forward" speaker. Although if your usage is more HT/TV than music, you can skip the "warm" speaker unless you have a known sensitivity to strong treble and/or have a highly reflective room.

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I know what sound signature I like and that’s lore of a V shape sound. I listen to rock,pop some country and classical,
If you go by my Spotify listening it would be Taylor swift, the Beatles, jack Johnson, slayer , megadeth , Sara bareilles and so on.

the return factor is already built into the model.. don't feel guilty or worry about it .. I've never understood the guilt associated with returns of any electronics bought on line ( or at large retail chains)...

Most likely these options will be going away sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, these plans all get abused and companies end up modifying their return policies as a result. Returns are EXTREMELY expensive for retail companies to deal with.

CostCo has modified their returns on electronics drastically.

Best Buy has modified their policies as well.

curtiswhite said:

I know what sound signature I like and that’s lore of a V shape sound.

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You may want to look at SVS Prime bookshelves then, they provide free return shipping on everything. A bit pricey but the free return shipping is clearly built into their pricing so you should feel zero guilt for shipping back if you're not pleased.

If you are able to wait a couple weeks/months for the next JBL and Infinity sale, those are a bit more "neutral" but would be the absolute best bang for the buck (esp. the Infinity Reference) and also have free return shipping (but without the 20-30% extra padding that SVS uses).

If not, the ELAC B6.2 that Amazon has on sale for $250/pr would be worth a look, easy returns esp. if you're a Prime member. Just be prepared to go with a 3-way center from a different brand because the so-called "matching" ELAC center gets mixed reviews at best.

Punter16 said:

Most likely these options will be going away sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, these plans all get abused and companies end up modifying their return policies as a result. Returns are EXTREMELY expensive for retail companies to deal with.

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Except for the companies whose whole business model is purposely BUILT ON free return shipping, e.g. SVS.

gajCA said:

In this day and age it is expected and part of the business plan.

Crutchfield encourages it and is very easy to deal with on returns which are very inexpensive ($10/box for bookshelves and $75/pair for towers within 60 days).

Have not returned speakers to any other site so can't comment.

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Crutchfield encourages it, until they don't. If you take advantage too much to their 60 day policy, they'll tell you it's best if you buy locally. (Been there, done that.)

Like its been brought up, its there for you and others to take advantage of, but dont abuse the system. SVS especially is set up to return things no hassle. I think we get a weird feeling because its not like returning a shirt, its something that normally has to be delivered freight. That being said, I would do it sooner then later. With the way things seem to be shaping up in the world, I wouldn't be surprised if all of this goes away sooner then later.

Zorba922 said:

Except for the companies whose whole business model is purposely BUILT ON free return shipping, e.g. SVS.

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Even if the cost is built into the business model, it is still expensive. If you know exactly what you want and can make it work, it probably isn't economical to buy a product that has a large built in price cushion (an modern alternative to having a dealer network).

harsh said:

If you know exactly what you want and can make it work, it probably isn't economical to buy a product that has a large built in price cushion (an modern alternative to having a dealer network).

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Very few people know EXACTLY what they want---not even old timers who've been in the game for decades.
Let alone total newbs.

Another issue is that there aren't many local dealers and they only sell a couple brands.

Thanks everyone for the info. I just don’t like returning stuff this big. But I do think that’s how everything is heading towards . With that being said I will be getting
Polk R-200, wharfedale evo 4.1 or 4.2. And kef 150 , I have a Polk HTS-12 for a sub already and marantz 7013 for receiver.

curtiswhite said:

Thanks everyone for the info. I just don’t like returning stuff this big. But I do think that’s how everything is heading towards . With that being said I will be getting
Polk R-200, wharfedale evo 4.1 or 4.2. And kef 150 , I have a Polk HTS-12 for a sub already and marantz 7013 for receiver.

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The 4.1/Q150s will be similar in size, and the 4.2/R200s will also be similar in size. You will probably get better bass extension with the large speakers, but with a sub that might be a moot point. The larger speakers will offer a bit more headroom, too.

I have the Q150s and the 4.2s, and they're both great speakers IMO. I am sure the 4.1s are also very nice, but the 4.2s will have an edge in the mid range due to its 3-way design. I don't know much about the R200s, but here's (what seems like) an extensive look into the R200:


Page 2 has measurements for the R200s. And here's a new review from just a few days ago:

tonygeno said:

Crutchfield encourages it, until they don't. If you take advantage too much to their 60 day policy, they'll tell you it's best if you buy locally. (Been there, done that.)

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How many speakers and did you keep any?

gajCA said:

How many speakers and did you keep any?

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First order was placed in 1997. Last order in 2016. Not only speakers but other stuff. I did not buy many speakers from them as they didn't handle many brands I was interested in. A couple of NHT and a couple of PSB. My only point is: don't be fooled by this try as many as you like. At a certain point they are going to cry no mas, and send you to a local dealer. I am now into high end pro speakers so I have no use for Crutchfield.

And a little history, I have been into Audio for about 55 years and have owned everything from Acoustic Research to Wharfedale (back in 1966). So I am probably not the most typical Crutchfield customer.

Ryan Statz said:

The 4.1/Q150s will be similar in size, and the 4.2/R200s will also be similar in size. You will probably get better bass extension with the large speakers, but with a sub that might be a moot point. The larger speakers will offer a bit more headroom, too.

I have the Q150s and the 4.2s, and they're both great speakers IMO. I am sure the 4.1s are also very nice, but the 4.2s will have an edge in the mid range due to its 3-way design. I don't know much about the R200s, but here's (what seems like) an extensive look into the R200:

Polk announced the "Reserve series" of loudspeakers

Polk just released the "Reserve series": Website: https://www.polkaudio.com/en-us/reserve-what-better-sounds-like Position in Polk's lineup: The "Reserve series" is positioned between the cheaper "Signature series" and the more expensive "Legend series". To watch the live press event (hosted...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Page 2 has measurements for the R200s. And here's a new review from just a few days ago:

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the reason for Polk is that I already owned the rti12s. And I think with Polk is that there the safe choice. But I have been reading up on some good things about the Reserve series.
Will the kef or the 4.2 or 4.1 be suited for pop,rock and the music I mentioned earlier on ?

curtiswhite said:

Will the kef or the 4.2 or 4.1 be suited for pop,rock and the music I mentioned earlier on ?

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I've listened to a variety of genres on both speakers, and they all sound good to me. One thing to note is that both of those speakers will definitely let you know if the recording itself isn't great. Both do incredibly well on newer, more modern recordings (so pop music will sound great). This reviewer noted how well the 4.2s do with metal (I don't know exactly where he mentions it, but it's in the section I've set the video to start):


I would agree with that assertion as well. The one sort of metal track I tested out when I first got the 4.2s blew me away (Melvins + Lustmord's "The Bloated Pope"). Older Beatles tracks might not sound the best (but I'd argue that the Beatles are overrated garbage anyway.... but that's just me). In the review of the R200s I cited, he does more or less mention that they do a good job at making everything sound "right" even with poorer-quality recordings.