ValiantSeattle,
In general, the advice about not buying before hearing is very good advice to follow. There are still plenty of internet-direct vendors out there who make and sell a shoddy product.
Axiom, however, is not one of those companies. I urge you to continue to try to find someone to audition the speakers; however, if you cannot find anyone, don't let that rule out the Axioms. As I'm sure you've gathered from your initial research, they are a great product from a fantastic company that really cares about their customers.
If in doubt, give them a call and speak to a real live person. It's much easier making a blind -- er, deaf -- internet purchase when you can talk to a human. And in the off chance that you do not like the speakers, remember about the return policy.
