Auditioning gear for purchase.. not in town

In Denver we have the RMAF. Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. A great event that will allow you to listen to hundreds of products. We have had a room there since they started the show. It is widely recognized as the best hi-fi show in the US. I believe that to be true after having attended the CES and the Show in Vegas. I know there will be posts on this thread about how you can't tell much in these rooms. I totally disagree. You can tell very quickly if you hate a product. If you like a product, then put it on your list and audition it some more. The guys at positive-feedback said the we had the room they "revistied the most. Sound to die for." That means two things. One they liked our room initially and two the came back again and again. That is what you should do. After all dealers go to these shows to choose products to carry.

Another good thing about Denver is there are at least 7 pretty good dealers in town and about 4 more close by. So if you come to town either for the RMAF or not you should be able to hear what you are interested in.

Jeffb28451

You are my new best friend, I think. I have been victimized a number of times.

Mr. Tennis, (is he a tennis player?) My shop is in my home. When you listen at my place you will leave knowing that you will keep this equipment for a long time. Or you won't like it at all. Simple.

I know that in most shops you really can't tell much. It is confusing. They throw on these SACD demo's that I couldn't listen to for 10 minutes.

Well I am ranting here. I totally disagree with buying stuff on audiogon just to compare. As audiophiles we can do better then that. At the RMAF a couple of years ago a guy came by shaking his head. I asked him what was the problem. He said he bought all this stuff and then came to the show and listened, and found so many better sounding pieces of gear.

Go to the show first. Narrow it down. Know the type of music you like. My preference for speakers lean toward vocals and instrumentals. Others prefer Orchestral. Beware of looking for bass. Go for midrange, midrange, midrange.
You would think that would be easy but it is not. Get the midrange right. Then decide whether you would pay an extra 10K to get the bigger speakers that go lower. A sub may be the better choice.

Mr. Tennis

In a perfect world you would love to have about 3 or 4 of the speakers that you think you might like to hear. Then about 3 or 4 amp/preamp combos, plus a good number of CD players. Then try the different combos until you are happy ( at least for a while ) .

In my shop if someone is serious about a product and they are local I will let try it at home. Out of state buyers are difficult however. You can see the dilemma about long term listening. If I have three sets of speakers out on demo for a couple of weeks. Then I have to open up new boxes for my demo room and break them in for walk in customers. Ouch! Then some speakers come back. Now I have 6 pairs of demo's or used speakers. Then some of those returns are damaged in shipping, and FedEx takes about six months to pay a claim. Ouch!

This is why I suggest that people come to a show or go to a town where there are plenty of dealers and really listen before they even consider what to buy. It has been my experience that you may not be able to choose a speaker to live with for 10 years but you can sure eliminate a lot of speakers that you could not live with for 10 minutes.

Getting something used is good.

It is also a good way to find a wife. If you don't like her you can put her back on the used market and not take to big a "hit".