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?
128x128cheeg

Showing 2 responses by cheeg

Thanks for your responses -- nothing too surprising here (other than nhodge's willingness to fly for his auditions - that's commitment!), but it was worth a shot.   I'm a little surprised there aren't more audio clubs that fill this niche.  Maybe I need to start one...

@stevecham -- you said you ultimately became part of the Thiel family; which Thiels do you have, and how would you compare them with other brands (that I might be able to find and audition)?
Thanks Steve -- did you mean the CS 2.7s and 2.6s?  also, you said you were downsizing to the 2.4s; which of those was your favorite, if size were not a factor?