I think you're overthinking this. If you buy for a good price in the used market from a reputable seller, you can likely resell the speakers for little or no loss if they don't work out for you. That's precisely the beauty of the used market. Yes, it takes a little effort to box up and send the speakers to a new owner if necessary, but in the scheme of things the used market, used wisely, is an extremely cheap way to audition speakers in your own home and in your own system.
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?
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?