[KElyas]

I'm going to a demo room soon to test speakers for my first purchase in that category but I'm not sure what the ideal number of songs to use to test them is. So what would you recommend? Also, how long do you think I should spend in there?

 

[bigshot]

Last time I did that, I used four... orchestral, chamber, jazz and rock. Don't let the salesman run the switcher. Have him show you how to do it, then shoo him away. I have had salesmen tweak tone controls on the sly to try to skew me to the speakers they wanted to sell me.

 

[KElyas]

  Last time I did that, I used four... orchestral, chamber, jazz and rock. Don't let the salesman run the switcher. Have him show you how to do it, then shoo him away. I have had salesmen tweak tone controls on the sly to try to skew me to the speakers they wanted to sell me.

oh really? Thanks for the heads up and only 4 songs? It's gonna be hard to choose!

 

[bigshot]

You want to keep the number down so you are comparing apples with apples. I took a yellow pad and went through every speaker with the first CD not looking at brand name or price, just the A, B, C etc on the switch panel. Then I did a pass with each of the other CDs. Then I narrowed down the 6 best speakers and did a little more careful comparison of them.
 
Then I checked the brands and price tags and realized I had picked the most expensive speakers in the store! Luckily one was not quite as expensive as the rest and that made my mind up for me.

 

[KElyas]

  You want to keep the number down so you are comparing apples with apples. I took a yellow pad and went through every speaker with the first CD not looking at brand name or price, just the A, B, C etc on the switch panel. Then I did a pass with each of the other CDs. Then I narrowed down the 6 best speakers and did a little more careful comparison of them.
 
Then I checked the brands and price tags and realized I had picked the most expensive speakers in the store! Luckily one was not quite as expensive as the rest and that made my mind up for me.

 
Very helpful, thanks. I'll try and do the same when I get there since I never really had a plan :S  Good to know the most expensive one was the best sounding, I just hope I don't get attached to the that one myself and leave with a huge gap in my wallet! So how much time do you reckon I should spend in the demo room?

 

[bigshot]

The more time you spend, the better a decision you'll make. It took me almost three hours. The salemen eventually just went away and left me alone.

 

[p a t r i c k]

  I'm going to a demo room soon to test speakers for my first purchase in that category but I'm not sure what the ideal number of songs to use to test them is. So what would you recommend? Also, how long do you think I should spend in there?

 
I just take a handful of CDs that I really like. Then during the demo session I treat it just the same as if I were at home and listening to music as I wish to.
 
I agree with bigshot, it is best to take a lot of time. I am lucky living close to London because there are loads of Hi Fi shops. What I do is go during the day on a working day, then the shop is not very busy. Then I get settled in and after a while the people at the shop realise it is best just to leave me alone with the stuff and let me get on with it.

 

[teishu]

When I demoed my Grado 325is, I took about 15 CD's as there were 2/3 tracks on each that I knew really well. The sales man passed me the remote and left me for about 1.5hrs to demo the 225is & 325is..