Taking a pole (1 Viewer)

[Jason Co]

How many people ou there bought speakers without actually auditioning them first? I am thinking of purchasing an Axiom setup and have read tons of good stuff, but I don't know if I will be able to get to audition them. Anyway just kind of curious to see the responses.

Jason

 

[Saurav]

I did. My next speakers will probably be bought the same way. I know this is looked down upon by many people, but for me it was the better option.

 

[Chu Gai]

i thought you built them Saurav? Myself, nope.

 

[Roberto Carlo]

I just bought Axiom's M22ti and VP-100 center channel. They're supposed to arrive tomorrow. The Axioms come highly regarded and recommended by folks whose opinion I respect. So, I don't think that I'm taking much of a chance.

Oddly enough, I'm a little more nervous about the subwoofer I'm planning to purchase in the next few days. It's between the Adire Rava and the SVS 25-31. They both come highly recommended but I'm not sure which is best for my home. It would definitely help to hear hear them. Specifically, while I understand that the Rava can't match the SVS in output or extension, are the relative differences the sort that will matter to me in my home? (I never listen at reference level.)

 

[Saurav]

i thought you built them Saurav?

That's exactly what I was getting at. I still bought it (i.e. the kit) unheard, and since I built them the only way to hear them first would be to find someone locally who'd also built them. Coincidentally, I did find such a person, but after I'd had my speakers for a few months.
So... in general it's a good idea to listen before buying, especially with speakers, and especially if they're expensive (for you). However, that effectively rules out a whole range of choices that usually represent much better value-for-money, especially in this "internet age". I chose to take that risk, and I lucked out, I think my speakers sound phenomenal for what I paid for them. Of course, now I'm looking for new ones, but for slightly different reasons

 

[Russell _T]

I bought my Divas without auditioning them. It turned out to be the best audio buy I ever made and even more importantly, I made some friends in the bargain. Can't beat that. When you buy into lines like Axiom, Diva, ACI etc, the sound chatacteristics and service have been so well documented that I feel you have little to lose and much to gain.

 

[John Garcia]

You don't need to do a poll, just do a search to find out how many people are happy with Axioms. I don't own them, but I have auditioned them and they are all they are cracked up to be, IMO. Definitely a great bang for the buck.

 

[Jason Co]

Actually according to my thread I am taking a pole. It's about ten feet long made out of steel. I think I may make a basketball hoop out of it. Is this the "how to use spell check forum?

 

[Brian Bunge]

I bought my ACI Opal and Emerald kits as well as my GR Research A/V-1's and A/V-1+'s without hearing any of them first. I've been quite happy with them all.

Brian

 

[Brian OK]

I bought my Paradigm Studio 40's without actually listening to them.
I was planning to buy the Reference 60's at first - and had listened to them a few times. I liked them. And I had , in fact, placed my order with my contact. He came back to say that Paradigm was running 4 weeks delivery on the 60's.
He said he could get me the Rosenut veneer 40's, with 20" Premier stands for a few dollars more than the 60's.

After spending a couple of days reading up on 40 reviews, and speaking at length with my Canadian contact who has the 40's, I said go and order them.

I am so pleased I had this unforseen change of events. The 40's fit my basement tweaked/HT room like a glove. Stand mounted studio style/monitor speakers for my room totally eclipsed my thoughts of floorstanders (I was moving up from Paradigm Monitor 7's) as a logical upgrade.
Sometimes the gut feel works in ones favor. It did for me as the 40's lived up to all the positive feedback I had read and heard. YMMV.

BOK

 

[JayDaniel]

Jason,

I bought my BIC speakers w/o auditioning first. Yes, it is a crapshoot, but I feel like you can improve your odds by doing a lot of research in places like this, AR, Consumer Reports, Secrets, etc. Reviews are really helpful, not so much the numerical ranking (1 to 5 stars etc.), but the comments supplied by people who own the speakers.

In an ideal world, audition first. In the real world of logistics, budgets etc, it isn't always possible. Just be willing to live with the consequences, and hey, there's always Ebay.

JayDaniel

 

[ling_w]

I definitely had to audition them before I bought my main magnepans speakers (many times, when I got mine, upgrades, when friends got theirs). It is truely insane not to hear how a speaker sound before buying it. Speakers are such a personal preference item that one cannot go on what other people say.

I didn't audition the surround and center speakers though, since they were of the same manufacturer and auditioning was not a possibility due to lack of demo unit by the dealer. They did not sound as good as the mains, but it was based on need and the knowledge of lowered expectation.

 

[Pete H]

I can't imagine buying new without auditioning. Consider buying used.

 

[mike_decock]

I bought my PSB Image 4Ts without hearing them first. They were "Stereophile Recommended" and well-reviewed but I've never been really happy with them. It took 3-4 months to break in and even though the high end is very clean and detailed, the midrange/midbass never came alive. I just ordered a pair of GR Research Paradox 1s "sight-unseen" but after reading many, many USER recommendations.

In the sub-$2K market, word of mouth means the most to me. I don't think I would pay more for anything without an IN-HOME audition.

-Mike...

 

[Chris Tsutsui]

I bought my rotel amplifier without auditioning it, and I almost always buy my speaker cables before auditioning them.
Yeah yeah, I know I live on the wild side.
I would like to audition a speaker before I bought it, but then again... The way my mind works is I will start liking the speaker to justify my decision to buy it. It's a beautiful mind.

 

[Paul_Fisher]

I bought my Axiom M3t's based on what people said here at the forum and everyone was right. I love my Axioms. Besides, you get a 30 money back guarantee, what do you have to lose?? Except money to ship the speakers back, but don't worry, you won't have any need for that!

 

[Saurav]

It is truely insane not to hear how a speaker sound before buying it.

Except that that limits your choice to just those that you can listen to. Some people are content to live with that limitation, others are willing to risk a little to experiment. It's like anything else in life - you don't take any chances, you'll end up with something you're comfortable with, but you'll never know if there's something else out there that would have been much better, maybe for much less money. On the other hand, if you do take those chances, you risk getting burned, and there's the potential for finding something you really like.
So, if you decide to buy something unheard, the real question is, how do you minimize the risk of getting burned. Pete brings up a great pont - consider buying used. If you don't like it, you'll lose much less in reselling it than if you buy something new. Another risk-reducing factor is popularity - if everyone's talking about something, you have a better chance of someone picking it up from you if you decide you don't like it.
From my point of view, it's not always feasible to listen to a DIY speaker or amp or anything before buying. I believe building my own gear gives me much more for my money than buying commercial gear. So I choose to take that risk, and I pick kits/products to build based on others' reviews of what they sound like. So far, I think I've come out ahead

 

[ling_w]

Except that that limits your choice to just those that you can listen to. Some people are content to live with that limitation, others are willing to risk a little to experiment. It's like anything else in life - you don't take any chances, you'll end up with something you're comfortable with, but you'll never know if there's something else out there that would have been much better, maybe for much less money. On the other hand, if you do take those chances, you risk getting burned, and there's the potential for finding something you really like.

I could do that with small stuff like a bottle of wine or a DVD, and maybe even on electronic equipments like VCR, tuners and even some power amps (heck look at the Outlaws, foolproof electronics for the low end receiver guys who doesn't care about even the finer nuances of sound reproduction, and all the complaints about it). But speakers are so subjective. Its like the maggies. Many people out there rave about it, but if you don't know how it sounds and thinks it will sound like a more fulfilling version of your B&W or Paradigm, you will be sadly surprised.
Same with horns, if people didn't know how bad they sound and just hear about the raves... (well actually, people in the HT world doesn't seem to care about their massive midrange coloration, since they probably care more about their deafening sensitivity ).

 

[Rey_Ramos]

Got my 4 Axiom M22's, VP150 center, Outlaw 1050 receiver, and my SVS Ultra without hearing any of it. Was the best purchase i've ever made.

 

[mike_decock]

I'd say it's really a matter of cost. If it's a BIG purchase (that's a personal figure for the buyer), then by all means try to audition it. If you can't audition, try to find posts from people who have similar tastes in equipment to see if you would like it.
There's also a lot of online vendors like www.redtrumpet.com who have a 30 day money-back guarantee and carry some very spendy equipment. I think the in-home audition is actually more valuable than the demo room.
-Mike...