I'm with John on this one home is where it's at. I've been Agon for 12 years now and the combo of buying used gear and trying it at home, or borrowing pieces to take home from my local retailer has served me well. Pretty sure that over the years of buying and selling here I have pretty much broken even from my original purchases and along the way tried many different pieces. It's fun, not really that hard to do, and there is no telling what a piece of gear really sounds like until you get it home. That being said having a good retailer nearby is a huge plus and I am blessed to have Deja Vu Audio nearby, plus a few other decent stores in the DC area.
The Demise of the Hi-End Audio Store
Ok. So I've read hundred's of forum posts from a lot of people and one question keeps popping into my head. Where does everyone listen (test out) all of this equipment? I don't know about you but I live in a fairly populated area, Cleveland/Akron Ohio area, and while there are a few (and I only mean a few) high end audio stores in my area, there are limited hi end brands in those stores. Ten years ago that was a different story, but this is the reality today.
So while I want to listen to equipment I'm interested in (Jolida, Prima Luna, Silverline, LSA, the list goes on and on), there isn't the opportunity.
Does everyone really travel hundreds of miles to listen to new components or do you do your research and buy what you think will work and go from there?
Thanks
So while I want to listen to equipment I'm interested in (Jolida, Prima Luna, Silverline, LSA, the list goes on and on), there isn't the opportunity.
Does everyone really travel hundreds of miles to listen to new components or do you do your research and buy what you think will work and go from there?
Thanks