# Advice on auditioning speakers



## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

So, I was all set to do my due diligence and actually listen to as many speakers as I could before I start to settle on a few to further research. I live in the Madison, WI area so I went through the phone book to find anyone dealing in home theater to see what they had available to listen to.

After a slew of phone calls, I only came up with 2 places and the only ones I can potentially listen to are Klipsch, Focal, LSA, Definitive Technology, PSB, and Polk (BB :yikes. Of those, I already passed on Polk and Focal.

I know many people have done this before and I was wondering if I need to consider making road trips to find places to audition more speakers or what other avenues may be open. I know I can purchase internet direct and have a sizeable window for returning what I do not care for, but I would like to keep those to a minimum to avoid paying multiple re-shipping costs. :spend:

If anyone reads this that is in Wisconsin and can suggest specific places, let me know.


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

So does this place not have anything? http://paragonvideoandstereo.com/brands.html


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## jackfish (Dec 27, 2006)

I've been to Paragon several times and they are amenable to setting up an audition so you can hear several different brands/models in your price range.
A little over an hour away in the Milwaukee area is UltraFidelis and a place downtown on Wisconsin Avenue I can't remember the name of, might not be there any more. 
A trip to Chicago for entertainment and auditioning might be another possibility.


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

Have you checked out University Audio? They carry some great brands from what i understand, Espeicially my favorite (Paradigm).:T


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## KalaniP (Dec 17, 2008)

jackfish said:


> I've been to Paragon several times and they are amenable to setting up an audition so you can hear several different brands/models in your price range.
> A little over an hour away in the Milwaukee area is UltraFidelis and a place downtown on Wisconsin Avenue I can't remember the name of, might not be there any more.
> A trip to Chicago for entertainment and auditioning might be another possibility.


If you're willing to make a trip to Chicago, I'm sure you can listen to crazy near anything you might want.

I'd try to give a listen to Paradigm, B&W, Monitor Audio and Energy, as well, if you can. (If you can find a Best Buy with a Magnolia, they usually carry Monitor Audio, if that helps you any)

Of the brands you mention, I'm a fan of Klipsch (Reference series, which BB does not carry), and I've heard good reports of Def Tech as well, but have not personally auditioned them to date.

For a sub, don't worry about auditioning, just save up for an SVS sub and prepare to be happy.


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## tesseract (Aug 9, 2010)

Traveling to listen to speakers is fun and a worthwhile endeavor. But consider that whatever you choose will sound quite different in your room than the room you auditioned in.

Return shipping costs might balance out vs. gas money and time spent. Consider an in home audition from internet direct companies. Try two or three offerings and possibly get an in home trial from the local retailers at the same time. You could have 4-5 or more speakers to try at once. Best way to listen is in your own home.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Thanks for all the replies!

I did call Paragon - after talking with the owner, he said he did not have anything set up for listening as it became too expensive to do so. Perhaps I misunderstood what he was telling me - I will drive over and check them out in person. As far as University, I thought they were car audio only - oops! Definitely adding them - I see so many positive posts about Paradigm.

Thanks for the suggestions in the Milwaukee area - I will add them to my list. I am going to be doing at least a couple internet direct speakers - the SVS M-02 series for sure for one as every person I have seen that has them raves about them.

Good call on the SVS subs - I actually already got 2 PB-13's. :T


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

As a follow-on to the conversation, I found out today that we have reason to be in Barrington, IL on the 21st of this month. I "asked" the boss if she would mind doing a little speaker listening that day and she agreed! :clap:

So, I am going to do some searching in that area for possible places to audition speakers. I was wondering if anyone had been to / heard of any places in the Chicago area that I should look into? I don't have specific speakers in mind - just want to be able to hear as much as I can so any suggestions are welcome.

TIA!!


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

I've done a deal with University Audio through mail order had a warrenty issue and they took care of me in less then a week. They are very good folks there, i'm considering driving the 3 hour drive just to check them out and meet the great guys that took care of me.:T


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Ooooh - I just noticed you were in Iowa! :bigsmile: If you do ever make the trip, let me know - meeting a fellow HTSer would be fun!

Per your suggestion, University Audio has been added to my list - thanks again for pointing out my error. Car audio - what a doofus..... :rolleyesno: 

I also found a Best Buy Magnolia store in the Milwaukee area -going to give that a go to see what they have in store. If I can find one or two for that Barrington trip, I think that should give me a large enough sampling.......


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