Has anyone found a good way to listen to speakers on the used market before buying them?

I live in the LA area (La Crescenta), and have not had much luck auditioning speakers I'm interested in buying used, through Audiogon or other sites.  Have others found a way to do this?  With rare exceptions (like Vandys), well-respected speakers selling for <$3K on the used market have been discontinued, and cannot be found at local dealerships.  For example, there seems to be a community of Thiiel owners who love their speakers, but I haven't come across any opportunities to listen to them in this area.  I don't know many people who have invested in mid or high level audio, so I haven't had many opportunities to compare speakers in my price range other than at dealerships; is there another avenue I haven't heard about in or around LA? 

Understandably, Agon members often warn us that we should let listen before we buy, and let our ears be the judge; but does that only apply to new/demo speakers found at dealerships?