If an audio dealer wanted to check my credit before letting me listen to THINGS THEY WERE TRYING TO GET ME TO BUY, they would never again see me or my hard earned money. Is there some weird cult of salespeople worship going on here? At a fave museum of mine you can stand right in front of a Van Gogh with a swiss army knife in your pocket, and that sucker is worth more than any hifi gear (the painting, not my little knife). I don't think any damage can be done to audio gear by listening to it. Test driving a car has obvious risks. I played a friend's $200,000 guitar once (59 Les Paul Standard)...I could have dropped it I suppose, but hey, life is risks! Also, when I listen to some amazing music on my system late at night I think, "man...this sounds like a million bucks".