Don't go takin' your C1 into a GC; you may never get out alive. The stores and salemen around here are dieing to get their hands on any Nord product. It seems the Michigan area stores don't stock 'em.
My experience with the big box stores is that all the speakers are wired into a junction box so that any speakers can be A/B'ed. I'd be more concerned with the mixer or amp being used; a simple EQ adjustment could be the difference between a speaker sounding great or terrible. Don't discount something just because you have to adjust a slider or two.
With the 808s the Mackie speakers sound great at a flat EQ, but very small incremental adjustments can make them sound fantastic. MY SUGGESTION IS to A/B the Mackie and the EV, then try Peavey and JBL. I think you'll stop right there. You'll love the EV's and then have to decide among the rest. If you have the money, go EV. If you haven't got the muscle, go Peavey. I have the Mackies and am very satisfied with them (because I couldn't afford the EV Sx200's).