Besides the GTGs, I last seriously auditioned speakers (brought my own music, took notes, etc) two and a half years ago when I built my current system.
I dawned on me towards the end of that long Saturday that listening to two or three speakers in a room, and then driving halfway across town to the next salon, in loud traffic, and then listening to two or three more speakers in a completely different room, and then repeating ad infinitum ad nauseum, wasn't a good way to compare. Especially since I have heard how much the sound of one pair can change by pulling speakers 8" further away from the wall, or toeing them in 20 degrees.
I was unhappy with how my current system sounded in my living room (the bass was, to use a precise technical term, weird) but after running Yamaha's proprietary auto-EQ program, the sound was great and I haven't changed it since.
Because I like my current system, and its paid-for, I'm not going to go out of my way to listen to something nicer (unless its a new technology, which hasn't happened since electrostatics).
Its like buying a new car: (1) never test-drive something you can't afford, and (2) don't test-drive something after you've made a purchase. :snooty: