Is being able to test sound quality of computer or ipod speakers important before buying them? or not?

i am trying to buy a good set of computer speakers for my new comp but haven't found any shop in sydney which has a good range of comp speakers where i can test them before purchase. please let me know if you know of any shop. places like JB Hifi, Harvey Norman and Bing Lee just doesn't offer a quality range. they mostly just carry Logitech which i think is quite crap. and the other less known brands that may be good are not available for testing.