Auditioning Speakers questions???

[perferd 10+ year member]

So I have never done it but plan on it over the next couple days. I don't want to feel and look like a total newb with a dollar sign on my forehead please give me some advice.

What do I look listen for and what questions do I ask? One shop has JL audio and another has Focal for comps.

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[mlstrass 5,000+ posts]

Bring music you normally listen to. Realize that 99% of the time louder is perceived as sounding better, so try to make sure the volume/output of each pair of speakers is very close.

Other then that whatever sounds best to your ears is what you should get, not what the salesman tells you is the best which will probably be the most expensive.

 

[quackhead 10+ year member]

So I have never done it but plan on it over the next couple days. I don't want to feel and look like a total newb with a dollar sign on my forehead please give me some advice.
What do I look listen for and what questions do I ask? One shop has JL audio and another has Focal for comps.

I would suggest auditioning different types of tweeters to find the type you like(textile, silk, titanium, etc.) Unless you intend to run passive x-overs, this will allow you to shop for good drivers online by having a general idea of what sound to expect from the different materials used in tweeters. I am not saying that all silk dome tweeters sound exactly the same, but two that have similar specs will be close, and a lot of the time, the differences you can detect will be due to the passive x-overs used in various comp sets. These passive x-overs are roughly 1/3 -1/2 the cost of a comp set. Example:

WoofersEtc.com - Esotec System 242 GT - Dynaudio 6.5" 2 Way Component Speakers

the x-overs used in the 242GT:

WoofersEtc.com - x252 - Dynaudio Crossover

If you plan to run a Active x-over set up, don"t pay for something you will not use.