I have to agree with all the posts here. I am having a hard time right now deciding what speakers to upgrade my HT system with, if any at all. I have some PSBs I bought about 8-9 yrs. ago that I may replace. They sound pretty good for HT, but I think they stink for stereo. Of course, I listen to a McIntosh XRT-20 mostly for stereo which has me spoiled. No way the PSBs can stack up. I don't live in Po-dunk town, USA, but I'm not exactly in NY, either. Trying to find anything other than the big B & M stores with anything better than mid-fi at best is difficult. I have read tons here and elsewhere to get an idea of what I might buy. I sure don't want to go sideways or maybe marginally better and shell out a bunch of coin. I would just as soon keep what I have.
As for the internet onlys, well, some of them are not internet only. Some you can buy direct from also will sell to "distributors". They don't call them dealers. I just ordered something from a wholesaler that handles other things I use for my job (doors, hardware, automatic doors, etc) which also happens to carry some A/V for almost half what the speaker website says is their factory direct price. Funny thing is, they list their price as way less than "suggested" retail. If that is the case, I got it for about 38% of retail. Don't be fooled by internet direct folks thinking you are getting a whale of a deal, cutting out the middle man. In some cases, you are only padding the pockets of the mfr.
If you are at the right place at the right time, you can get real deals from places like BB, CC, etc. You just have to get out more. As another example, I was at Lowes a couple months ago and found vanities for 75% off on clearance b/c of new models. I an remodling most of my house and needed some anyway. Good deal for me! Speakers do not change as much as electronics, obviously, so last years model can be about or just as good as the current year.
If you don't have very many places to audition speakers around your town, you may indeed just have to take a chance/leap of faith and go for a set. If you are familiar with a particular brand/model, you can also ask about how the ones you are looking at stack up with the ones you know. Maybe plan a day trip out of town, even if it's a 4-5 hour trip each way to a big town that has a bunch of the speakers you want to audition. Look on the website of the iternet only folks for people in that area that will let you come and listen to their setup while you are there. Take a recording/movie you are familiar with for comparing.
