Would you buy speakers with out first listening ?

Actually, Duke, that's an excellent piece of written advice (if I may say so)! Cheers!

It's my opinion that you have never heard speakers even if you audition them. Every other factor is different. The room you listen in, your amp/preamp or integrated, your cd player, your turntable, your cartridge, your speaker cables, your interconnects are all different and in some case where people have small odd shaped rooms with windows, doors and furniture in them, very, very different. I find buying audio equipment one of the most difficult things I have ever tried to do. I think that if your research finds a consensus of people liking a component, that's as good as you can get.

Dgreenb1, that is an excellent point about room interaction and equipment synergy. I believe those two factors had a direct effect on my Aerial 7B speakers not sounding as good in my living room as in the dealer's showroom. A home audition is really the best way to go.

Absolutely NOT. I have heard so many very expensive pairs of speakers that I could never live with for any length of time. I realize that it is not practical to expect a home audition, but one can tell quite a lot from hearing a speaker that is set up well in a showroom that one is familiar. If I buy from a dealer, I expect the dealer to help with set up, finding a suitable amp and tweaking.

Currently, very few commercial designs interest me. But, I've heard a number of custom designed systems that sound very good. If I do change my speakers, something I don't expect to do for a long time, I will go that route. That necessarily involves close interaction with the designer and listening to different options, etc.

My next interim upgrade will probably be an active crossover. I know a builder/designer who I can work with towards getting a complex active system to work correctly.

Absolutely NOT. Just like Larry - I've listened to a lot of "high-end" speakers that I couldn't stand. Nor is it a good idea to make expensive judgments based on the opinions on message boards. (One look at the Audiogon "Recordings to Die For" list will prove that point :)
There's always a hardcore group that likes anything (especially the newest, most-hyped equipment) even more so after they've plunked down a few grand and own it. And they're the people who tend to post about it actively, so there's an inherent bias. For example, I dislike the new Gallo Ref III's, but I'm not going to waste my time running around chat boards warning everybody who asks about them, but at the same time there's a few Gallophiles who enjoy raving about them whenever they get the chance.

Once you're above a certain level of design and build quality, it all depends on your particular ears, brain, and likes/dislikes.

And lastlly, one all-important important consideration - the amount of grief you will get from your wife when you have to eat a $1500 loss because you don't like your new speakers as soon as you hook 'em up. Trust me - I know about that firsthand!