I'd be much more comfortable knowing that the selection was already carefully curated based on listening.
My dealer mainly selects products rather than brands. One brand they'd stocked for over 50 years, the brand expanded its range and insisted the dealer stock all or nothing, so the dealer decided to stock nothing. They did not want to stock products they did not want to sell. Some brands they just stock one product. Often when a new product comes in, another one goes out.
I recently bought a product. They offered 18 products in that component category from 10 different manufactuiorers, ranging fairly evenly from £150 to £50,000. There is no pressure on how much to spend or any particular brand, or to spend anything at all. Comparing how products sound side-by-side is a luxury you don't get shopping online and, as
@Purité Audio says, many products measure very similar and sound different.
You do need a good dealer, like
@Purité Audio. He stocks a very limited range with an intense focus on a particular type of technology. He's a rare and honourable breed.
The product I bought has no published measurements anywhere. I had the luxury of comparing it to two other products in my own home/system. If I had discounted it due to the lack of measurements, I would be the loser.
PS Audio may sell direct in the USA, but they have a 30 or 60-day return policy, so you can always get your money back. Since Covid-19 many more dealers and manufacturers do home loans, I've done four home loans since then and bought two items, returned the others, plus one more purchase in-store from four product options.
How do you measure phono cartridges? Possibly the most critical element of vinyl replay. I'm listening to one on home loan at the moment. For what it's worth, PS Audio make a phono amplifier that apparently measures extremely well.