Auditioning gear for purchase.. not in town

I agree with Sounds real, at the prices we pay for this equipment most of us can afford a getaway to Denver or Vegas in my case. I happen to go out to CES every year and love visiting the two shows (THE Show and CES). It's a great way to touch, feel and hear hundreds of great new (and some old) products. Although some rooms are less than ideal, most do a pretty good job of showing you the characteristics of their gear. I have ended up buying gear that I first heard at the show, in fact I bought a pair of Totem speakers this year that i never would have even put on my short list if I hadn't heard them the past few years at CES. Getting to see and audition hundreds of companies/gear is something I look forward to every year and base most of my purchases on.

Thanks for the suggestions. I would thoroughly enjoy going to one of these shows.

I'm finding it difficult piecing everything together. I can see that attending a show would at least narrow down the search, and possibly point towards some synergistic combinations.

Use what I call the AudiogoN 'buy n' try' philosophy. I look for a good price on whatever I'm considering, I buy it and try it in my own system with my own ears against the competition. I keep the winner, sell the loser. Again, this is just in my opinion. I've sold many pieces that have pleased many folks. It's all about synergy and personal tastes.

Cheers,
John

there is no substitute for an in-home audition.
hopefully, you can find some products sold direct that are of interest to you. in that case , you call the manufacturer and listen.

if the item has a decent rtesale, you can buy it used and then resll that item for a small loss.

i do not put much credence in a demo at a dealer or at a friend's house. it doesn't tell you much. i liked the synergy of a tube amp in another stereo system. when i hooked it up in my stereo system, i did not like it.

I agree with John (Jmcgrogan2). If I can't find a friend with the piece that I am interested in (to audition it in their system), then if I really am excited about it, I will just buy it on Audiogon and test it out in my system. (Usually that means that I have researched not only what piece of equipment I want, but that includes researching what the range of prices it goes for (used of course). I then wait until I can get it at a good price, and audition it in my system for my self. If it works great, if not, I usually will have bought it at the low end of the price range, and I can easily sell it and not lose any money, except maybe shipping costs.

One thing I NEVER do, is waste a dealer's time, and put wear and tear on his demo equipment, when I have no intention of buying my gear from him. I consider that to be a violation of trust between me and the dealer. (Ethically it just seems completely wrong to me.)

My two cents worth anyway.