Honestly - how did you buy your speakers? Audition or blind?
- Thread starter Rug Doc
- Start date
Only pair I ever heard before I bought them were Mission 700s many years ago. I bought my original Goodmans RB35 mail order when I was a student back in the 70s, inherited a pair of Celestion Ditton 10 studio series, which I still have, bought a pair of Linn Saras on recommendation followed by Sara 9s. A couple of pairs of Royd Minstrels on recommendation and the same with a couple of pairs of Neat Mystique 2s. Current main speakers are a pair of Goodmans Magisters which I got for free with the wrong tweeters installed and painted scratched cabinets so didn't listen to them. They now have refurbished and modified cabinets, new Monacor DT300 tweeters and rebuilt, modified, external crossovers.
Nic Robinson
Moderator
Blind here.
I saw my Kef 103/2s on eBay looking really grubby and unidentified (the seller didn't know what they were). A bit of research suggested they'd be quite good at least so I pulled the trigger. I think I paid £50 cash, meeting up at a KFC!
Got them home and gave them a thorough clean, replaced the crap connectors with proper banana posts and stripped and oiled the cabs (undamaged apart from the years of grime). The grilles cleaned up nicely without the need for new cloth.
To my delight they were fully working and boy did they sound good: in some ways better than the Spendors I was using (which were better to my ears than the Kabers and Kans they replaced). I can't imagine being without these now. They do exactly what I need from hifi speakers.
I saw my Kef 103/2s on eBay looking really grubby and unidentified (the seller didn't know what they were). A bit of research suggested they'd be quite good at least so I pulled the trigger. I think I paid £50 cash, meeting up at a KFC!
Got them home and gave them a thorough clean, replaced the crap connectors with proper banana posts and stripped and oiled the cabs (undamaged apart from the years of grime). The grilles cleaned up nicely without the need for new cloth.
To my delight they were fully working and boy did they sound good: in some ways better than the Spendors I was using (which were better to my ears than the Kabers and Kans they replaced). I can't imagine being without these now. They do exactly what I need from hifi speakers.
steve_1979
pfm Member
I bought my AVI DM10 speakers blind because I already owned the smaller AVI DM5 speakers and liked them.
cjyosemite
pfm Member
I usually buy speakers new & usually audition but I once bought some Dynaudio Excite X32 ex demo & they just did not work in my small study with boomy base unless I put the bungs in which resulted in next to no bass. Also thought the treble was a bit harsh at times but they were a good bargain & in high gloss black looked the bees knees. I was really after a pair of ex-demo Spendor A5's but they had been sold when I got to the shop - however I later got some ex-demo A5's for another room to replace some S5e's & they sounded so different I had them on demo from my local dealer for 3 weeks before I was convinced - & never regretted it. Replaced them recently with some "end of line" A5R's at a ridiculously cheap price without demoing but didn't need to as already had a pair I had bought 12 months earlier to replace the Dyn's.
I home demo'd my ProAc D18's for a week before buying but cannot remember whether I demo'd the D20R's at home although I listened to them for a few hours in the shop. Also demo'd a few different ProAc stand mounters at home & eventually settled for the Tablette Anniversaries just as they were to be replaced - but did not fancy the replacement model which was bigger.
There are a limited number of speaker manufacturers I will consider as before anything else they MUST LOOK good & match existing decor & furniture. However I DO NOT buy just because of their looks - they must pass all criteria.
I home demo'd my ProAc D18's for a week before buying but cannot remember whether I demo'd the D20R's at home although I listened to them for a few hours in the shop. Also demo'd a few different ProAc stand mounters at home & eventually settled for the Tablette Anniversaries just as they were to be replaced - but did not fancy the replacement model which was bigger.
There are a limited number of speaker manufacturers I will consider as before anything else they MUST LOOK good & match existing decor & furniture. However I DO NOT buy just because of their looks - they must pass all criteria.
Gomers1607
pfm Member
Of the 6 or 7 speaker sets I've owned, all were bought blind. Of them I only had one pair (some Mission standmounters) that didn't work in my room and one pair of KEF floorstanders that just weren't very good speakers.
My current Ruark Talisman IIs were bought mail order and are fabulous.
My current Ruark Talisman IIs were bought mail order and are fabulous.
Hazelberry
sister
Here, too, and haven't been disappointed by any. I've only always spent what I could afford to lose.
I bought my first pair sighted and auditioned at a dealer. That time, I was deaf.
cj66
pfm Member
I have demoed when young to choose. I was then in the trade for some time and chose that way.
My current speakers were bought "sought of" blind. I had owned a different model before and heard several others so I picked up a clearance set from the then distributor (I was no longer in the trade at that point) in the hope they'd be as good as the others and I was not disappointed.
My current speakers were bought "sought of" blind. I had owned a different model before and heard several others so I picked up a clearance set from the then distributor (I was no longer in the trade at that point) in the hope they'd be as good as the others and I was not disappointed.
Rodney gold
Im just me...
I went to a show and heard a set of Vivid Giya G1's and thought them less than overwhelming for a $60k speaker , however on hearing them at a private residence and at the dealers I changed my mind and ordered a set. Considering they are locally produced , I got them at an exceptional price compared to list.
When vivid released their G1 spirit ($92k) , I went to the launch and they sounded also underwhelming but I recognised the potential.
vivid sent me a pair and I was allowed a month to compare them to my G1's (had both sets here) and to keep whichever pair I thought sounded best..I kept the G1 spirits.
Once again I got a great deal
I do realise one thing tho..you dont listen to speakers . you listen to the room and I have spent a lot of time and effort on the room..thus in reality , there is only one way to audition speakers..and thats in your room.
G1's are the black speakers , g1 spirits are the copper ones)
When vivid released their G1 spirit ($92k) , I went to the launch and they sounded also underwhelming but I recognised the potential.
vivid sent me a pair and I was allowed a month to compare them to my G1's (had both sets here) and to keep whichever pair I thought sounded best..I kept the G1 spirits.
Once again I got a great deal
I do realise one thing tho..you dont listen to speakers . you listen to the room and I have spent a lot of time and effort on the room..thus in reality , there is only one way to audition speakers..and thats in your room.
G1's are the black speakers , g1 spirits are the copper ones)
calorgas
Generic middle-aged man
That's me every time. I've never auditioned speakers in a shop (I tried a couple of times but the dealers weren't helpful). I also develop a sense of which forum members maybe have similar tastes to mine and take note of their choices and recommendations. Mind, I have a bit of an old school/BBC thing so that helps with my choices.
