[QUOTE=Bradders][QUOTE=griffo104] If you were buying a car you would want a test drive - take it out for an hour or a day around roads you are familiar with to get a feel for road handling etc.. You wouldn't just go around the dealer's parking lot for 5 mins. Why should hifi be any different ? [QUOTE] A hifi isn't a car, anymore than a sandwich is the river Thames. I too think that dealer dems are pointless. The only way to test anything is to do so in your own time in an environment you are familiar with. I think it is also very important to decide what you are interested in. Stepping out your front door with the inclination to listen to every turntable on earth until you find the best one would be disastrous.[/QUOTE] A hifi isn't a car you are quite right - but the analogy is valid. You could probably buy a car for the price of a high-end turntable.arm/cart so why should the buying/demoing experience be limited to the dealer's shop and gear ? I do agree with you last paragraph though[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]