Would you buy speakers with out first listening ?

I have three times, and was amd am happy each time. Pair one my girlfriend made me get rid of for decor reasons, pair two weren't suitable foe new amps I got, and pair three continues to live happily with me to this day. That's the great thing about buying used, if you're smart it's tough to get burned.

After careful research, I purchased my Green Mountain Audio Europas without the benefit of an audition. Unfortunately, GMA is not represented in upstate NY.
Due to this fact, I called GMA directly. When I called GMA, Roy, himself, answered the phone.
The owner and chief designer of a company picks up the phone and speaks to the customer directly. Pretty rare I would say. Much to my delight, I had a wonderful conversation with him. Convinced I was in good hands, I ordered a pair of Europas on the spot. I did have to wait due to a back log of orders ahead of me, but that was fine with me.
Boy, oh boy, was the wait worth it!

I'd also like to make a comment on the customer service I received after the sale. As I was breaking
the speakers in I detected a hissing sound coming
from one the speakers. I called Roy to ask for advice.
He told me to send the speakers back, on his dime, and he'd personally oversee the trouble shooting process, himself. I also told him that I had accidentally
managed to scratch the bottom of one of the speakers.
No problem, he'd have the area repainted at no charge. Thank you Roy and everyone at GMA! Anyway, it turns out, they could detect nothing wrong with the speaker.
Oddly enough, the sound disappeared. The speakers were sent back to me and I have'nt had a problem since.

I just would like to say that everyone at GMA are top-notch. They really go all out for their customers. Something, which is quite rare these days. Bravo.

While I am one of the biggest advocates of auditioning a loudspeaker there is, if the right pair of Apogees came up for sale, I think I'd buy them sound unheard (going on the recommendation of people I REALLY trust).

You know Trelja...I think you would be OK with that move as long as you had a fairly large room.

That said...I had my Apogee Centaur Minors (still do) a good while before I bought my Duetta Signatures..Took over a year to find a pair close enough for a listen before I shelled out the cash.

I should have known that I would like them, still...I waited.

Now waiting for a local pair of Scintilla.

Dave

Back in my "civilian" days, I bought speakers without listening to them first on several occasions, generally with good results.

If you count all my DIY projects (which I had to pay for before hearing), then that would add another fifty or so. Results here were mixed - most of my own designs sucked.

I would say the key to buying speakers unheard is to first know yourself - know what you like and what you don't like a loudspeaker to do, and know what you're willing to compromise if you have to. Second, it helps to understand speaker design to the point where you can make a reasonable assessment of what a given design will and will not do based on objective data - especially as it relates to your priorities (what you like & don't like). Finally, you can give credance to rave reviews, but I have found this to be an unreliable predictor of whether or not I will fall in love with a given loudspeaker.

Duke

"Science is not a democracy" - Earl Geddes