The last scheduled demo at a UK dealer I went to was about 4 or 5 years ago prompted by an intended move (that didn't happen) to a significantly smaller living area and work that would consume too much time for any significant DIY activity. The demo was close to ideal: the room was of a reasonable size with OK acoustics, was given a cup of coffee, a few boxes of CDs and the dealer left leaving me to get on with it. The result of the demo was not the positive confirmation I had expected and I didn't buy the speakers. I did somewhat impulsively buy some of the drivers from the dealer for a DIY project to investigate what I had heard. They are still in their boxes.
Due to DIY leanings I have only had a handful of demos at hifi shops and the ones that have happened have always been positive in the sense they have added value to doing business with the particular shop. In all but one case I did business with the shop. The one case I didn't the demo was successful in confirming the hardware did what I wanted but after some reflection I couldn't justify the expenditure. The only significant negative experience I have had was shortlisting 2 headphones, going to the only hifi shop in the city that stocked both and being refused a demo. I went to a hifi shop a short distance away that stocked the cheaper of the two, listened to them against few others and bought them. I don't know if the first shop thought I wasn't going to buy or that the markup on headphones wasn't worth the time for a demo. They did say they would sell me either of the headphones in unopened boxes so they physically had them in the shop. Perhaps they didn't want to be left with an opened box of headphones for the one that wasn't chosen. It was odd.
Demo rooms in hifi shops will be missed but we live in changing times. I have never had a home demo of speakers but should I buy rather than build in the future I suspect this is how I will confirm what to purchase.
Due to DIY leanings I have only had a handful of demos at hifi shops and the ones that have happened have always been positive in the sense they have added value to doing business with the particular shop. In all but one case I did business with the shop. The one case I didn't the demo was successful in confirming the hardware did what I wanted but after some reflection I couldn't justify the expenditure. The only significant negative experience I have had was shortlisting 2 headphones, going to the only hifi shop in the city that stocked both and being refused a demo. I went to a hifi shop a short distance away that stocked the cheaper of the two, listened to them against few others and bought them. I don't know if the first shop thought I wasn't going to buy or that the markup on headphones wasn't worth the time for a demo. They did say they would sell me either of the headphones in unopened boxes so they physically had them in the shop. Perhaps they didn't want to be left with an opened box of headphones for the one that wasn't chosen. It was odd.
Demo rooms in hifi shops will be missed but we live in changing times. I have never had a home demo of speakers but should I buy rather than build in the future I suspect this is how I will confirm what to purchase.