I’m real old school, especially when it comes to speakers. I prefer a dealer demo, then will consider an in home trial. With COVID the AXPONA or Rocky Mountain Audio Fest are not likely in 2021. So listening at an audio exhibit is not in the cards. I can’t get too excited about a demo that would result in a return. Plenty of worthy brick and mortar dealers near me. Once I hear the SETs things will be clearer for me, pun intended.
That’s interesting. What about having a local dealer introduce a given speaker to you first substantively differs from an in home trial directly from a manufacturer? Is there something about the local dealer in the chain of events that makes a speaker more relatable to you?
To my way of thinking, the ultimate arbiter is the in home trial. Reading reviews online, both pro and user, serves as the introduction, takes over the local dealer part of the equation.
Is the “old school” part more habit than anything else?
My closest dealer is a mandatory plane ride to Honolulu. Once upon a time there was a ferry, but the State screwed that up. I would love to have a local dealer, but that’s a good way from someone to lose a lot of money fast on Maui. Underwood lives on Maui, but his business is entirely drop shipped out of Georgia.
A new review:
Day late and a dollar short dude 
Ah I didn’t see it above. It’s worth posting twice.
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@Dancingsea: We are different people with different approaches. I can respect that. If I did not have a lot of solid dealers nearby, demoing in home would be my best option. That is not my situation. I prefer to develop a relationship with my dealer and listen in their salon. I can eliminate many speakers that way, and typically the dealer presents something I may not have considered and actually like. Reviews are nothing more than an entertainment for me. They may on occasion point me in the direction of something I may like or am curios about. That’s about it. They don’t typically result in a purchase. That’s just me. I also learn quite a bit listening to friend’s systems, and that too can influence an additional audition and purchase. I say to each their own, but I stand by the no ship without first an initial audition approach. It has served me well. For instance I am intrigued about the forthcoming AN3/FR30 or “what ever” PSA “prototype” speaker. Should I be in the market when it eventually hits the market I would make arrangements for a Boulder audition and go from there. That’s part of the hobby for me sharing with the dealer and or manufacturer. I did make it to RMAF 2019, pre-COVID, just to hear the AN3/FR30. I also went to hear some other items and wanted to experience RMAF after having just done AXPONA 2019. I enjoyed it immensely, met some very fine people, some in fact frequent this very forum. I feel I am better for it.
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@weedeewop Thanks for the insight. I’ve never had a local dealer, thus it’s a new and mysterious concept to me. Through sheer passage of time the market has come to meet me through the rise of the internet and demise of the local dealer, rather than me having to meet it. 
I’m not advocating for one way over the other. I do everything by mail due to geography, not out of preference. That said, even if we had a great local dealer, I wouldn’t personally rule out a speaker because the only way to hear it was through a manufacturer’s home trial. But certainly, there are tons of choices out there for mainland folks and I’m confident you will find a great pair of speakers, no matter how you go about it. Best of Luck!!
“Local” dealers are almost a thing of the past these days. Plus, you are pretty much stuck listening to what the dealer carries and has in stock. If they don’t carry it, you can’t buy it from them. That is just too limiting in today’s marketplace.
You all are going to get me to order a set of amps and speakers fro Decware yet. Might be a good Christmas gift. To me.
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Order it now and you may get to wrap it for Xmas! 
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One good reason to order now is the seemingly inevitable price hike that comes with overwhelming demand. By coincidence I happened to order the ZROCK 2 a few weeks before its price went up.
And Steve deserves to raise his prices a bit. His products are very underpriced. Something very rare in this hobby.
@speed-racer:
That’s not my experience, yours apparently is different. I embrace the difference.
BTW, the Soul Supreme isn’t ruled out, I need more info regarding SET performance and competing speaker performance with the SET(s) amps I am considering. Decware has an advantage with the various speakers immediately available as well as the amps. The John Richardson review makes it clear that matching SET to speaker is critical. Also, that the two speakers he used to evaluate the amplifier may not have been his “cup of tea”. The Charney speakers were not, and reading between the lines the he had reservations regarding the Living Voice speakers. So first I need to investigate the SET option and if it is a fit for me, and then select a path for speakers. I may be heading down to Edwardsville, Illinois to demo Devore speakers, but I am getting ahead of my self. Could be fun. At least I get some good barbeque along the way.
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My thought is, assuming I like them, to place an order in 2021 allowing for a Spring 2022 installation in our Summer Residence. Basically due to the long lead time. Other options I am kicking around allow for late spring 2021 installation.
Should Steve hold his line on pricing that would allow me to pursue further music acquisition, especially vinyl. After all, it is about the music. The hardware is just the means to enjoy it.
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@weedeewop For the past month I’ve gotten a kick out of watching Grateful Dead concerts on YouTube. There seems to be new technology (new to me at least) that is able to recondition old video recordings and make them look amazing. Last night I watched a 1982 show in Essen, Germany in which Pete Townsend came out and jammed with Jerry. Also the Downhill From Here 1989 Alpine shows have been remastered to 4K and look great. It’s fun listening to audio recordings through the big rig, but it’s also fun to see the band visually, even with sound just through a tv sound bar.
There’s also a 1970 concert footage of Jimmy Hendrix playing on Maui in a field not far from my house. The remastering job made it look like it was recorded yesterday.
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I will never forget the visit I had to Decware. Sitting in the cats spot on the middle of the couch in the listening room listening to different amps, different speakers, always enjoying whatever I was listening to at the moment the most. Then the next moment pushed that one into ruin. It was amazing.
But tubes are silly. Come on.
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Why are tubes “silly”?
I just ordered the Anniversary amp. Yay!!
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Awesome! You’ll be delighted at the step up from the basic Zen.
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I got that, tubes are silly, and I got tubes in a different system. Silly is good. Color me silly.
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