Best Internet direct speakers

[bandit]

I haven't had a need to buy speakers lately... but, doesn't Aperion Audio give you a 30 trial and then if you decide they are not for you, they pay the shipping back to Aperion? I think they had a couple of ok reviews here.

 

[W_Harding]

Buy used.

I did not vote. Neither option is what I prefer.

The last time I bought speakers was before one could buy speakers on the internet. I bought a pair of used speakers for a little more than half of what they sold for new. They had recently received very good reviews. I calculated that if I did not like them, that, I would be able to sell them at little or no loss. Well, that was about seventeen years ago and I am still enjoying the speakers. My advice is to buy used for the best value. Let someone else pay the depreciation.

 

[Mike Dzurko]

The problem with my experience with a lot of B&M stores that that they don't let me audition a speaker at home. I wonder if that's a common place, or just a unique experience to myself.

I for one am grateful for the Internet Direct companies. I will hopefully be auditioning your Sapphires later this year.

I don't think you're experience is unique, but all too common. It was one of the factors that prompted me to begin selling direct nearly 30 years ago.

I look forward to your impressions of our Sapphire XLs

 

[pikers]

Internet direct has proven to offer great value.

That value is different for different people. You have to find the sound you like, the price you like, and then decide regardless of how you purchase.

What that means is the pain in the azz factor somehow is LESS than the imagined savings one incurs.

I know I'd like to send off for speakers, see if they're colored sufficiently to match my room's acoustics, and if I don't like them, send the big boxes back.

That the perceived value is more important than the actual value, that sounds like a winning plan to me.

 

[wilmeland]

I guess for me the stores would always be the way to buy speakers

Not that you couldn't try out speakers in your home & return, but I think first you should do in store comparisons & then when you decide on something, try in your home to see if they fit your tastes.

Most good speakers will sound ok. If you listen to the sound long enough in a test at home, the sound might even grow on you. However, this doesn't mean you couldn't have found a better fit had you auditioned speakers in a decent audio store. By this auditioning, I feel you can truly discover the nuances of different speaker sounds and determine what characteristics most suit your tastes. How do you do that by mail when you audition one speaker one week, then send it back and listen to another? I don't think you can because your ears adjust and re-adjust to what you're listening to for an extended period of time. Unless there's a sound characteristic that really grates on your nerves, I think many might learn to like the sound of most good speakers. However, again, that doesn't make it the best match for you.

However, if the only stores you have available for auditioning are of the Best Buy or Circuit City variety, you may as well give the internet route a try, since they really don't have any kind of auditioning environment & some of the products offered via internet sales appear to surpass the quality of what you could find at these stores.

 

[simpleHT]

The problem with my experience with a lot of B&M stores that that they don't let me audition a speaker at home. I wonder if that's a common place, or just a unique experience to myself.

I for one am grateful for the Internet Direct companies. I will hopefully be auditioning your Sapphires later this year.

This is all too common, and normally they will allow only one pair. It won't be the seond time around.
Problem with ID, if I return a few times (excluding Aperion), I pretty much lose half of my budget on shipping costs.

 

[jcsprankle]

I think the Internet Direct option represents, on average, excellent value for great sounding speakers. As already mentioned, however, you can't listen to them first. But, that's not always true. Most ID retailers that are worth their salt will provide a forum for people who are willing to host auditions in their home.

I recently found a person in my area that owned a complete 5.1 system by Axiom Audio, including the exact towers and center that I was interested in. He was gracious enough to allow me into his home on a Saturday and listen to CDs/movies that I brought for almost 2 hours! It was very enjoyable and I was able to give the speakers a good listen (in a non-acoustically perfect room).

This ability may tip the scales in favor of ID retailers!

 

[soundhound]

i guess i tend to like the convenience of the internet direct model. you order online or over the phone, and a couple of days later the speakers show up at your door without you having to lift a finger. then you get to audition them in your own environment, with your own electronics, etc. that will always beat any audio store listening room, imo.

the only downside is the return shipping, and sometimes the lost deal you would get by ordering more speakers at once, like with ascend. but by the time i drive to a store, find what i'm looking for *maybe*, deal with the paperwork, load them in the car, unload them at home, return them, etc. i think the shipping costs on ID speakers are just about worth it in comparison.

 

[cornelius]

The cool thing about having speakers ship directly to your home is you can first - compare your new speakers directly to your old ones, in your room with your gear. Secondly, throw your new speakers in your car and bring them down to a store and compare them. It's much easier to A/B speakers without relying on your memory. It's very difficult to find a store that carries all of the brands that you're looking for, but if they're open to allowing you to come down with your own to compare, than that helps with the process.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

I recently found a person in my area that owned a complete 5.1 system by Axiom Audio, including the exact towers and center that I was interested in. He was gracious enough to allow me into his home on a Saturday and listen to CDs/movies that I brought for almost 2 hours! It was very enjoyable and I was able to give the speakers a good listen (in a non-acoustically perfect room).

JC,

So what was your opinion of the Axioms? Did you take the plunge?

 

[jcsprankle]

JC,

So what was your opinion of the Axioms? Did you take the plunge?

I liked the Axioms a lot. They were detailed and clean with just the right amount of brightness for my taste. They were also being driven by a Denon 3803 receiver, which is a plus to me because a Denon 3806 is probably what I'll upgrade too after the speaker purchase and I got to hear the "whole system".

The Axioms are on my shortlist of speakers at this point. I still have to listen to a few others, namely the Paradigm Monitor 11s. I should have done all my listening in the same weekend but the store that carries the Paradigms was closed on Sunday and then I got sidetracked and bla bla bla.

Bottom line, I could see myself with Axiom fronts (M60), center (VP150) and surrounds (QS8). But, have to complete my due diligence first.

 

[trw005]

yup i joined the ID fools lol

And I have been enjoying my Axioms for almost a year now. I ran some audio retail stores long time ago and I would have laughed at the thought of mail order(internet now) speaker purchases. But this biz model works great for these companies and their customers. Win win deal I think.

I have to thank audioholics/avs and the forum members for a year of informative/entertaining posts. It really came down to this; Have some faith in your fellow audiophiles intelligence and discernment. Do the research and risk some shipping costs. I did the B&M tour, then I did a A/B of the 2 finalist IDirect brands at my home. It was exciting and fun. Thats what this hobbie is about.

Axiom's website and customer service are so good that my expectations for the experience were exceeded. Try and get that feeling in a retail outlet with the rest of the cattle.

HTPC, 42" Plasma and my budget audio system. Ya baby. Enjoy your gear!

 

[Remotia]

Bose for sure, you can buy thier high end stuff right off www.bose.com

 

[Sheep]

Bose for sure, you can buy thier high end stuff right off www.bose.com

Why are all the pretty ones insane?

SheepStar