(Audiofeil :No review is independent.
Every reviewer has personal likes/dislikes/biases.
Reviews provide tech information and entertainment.
You must listen for yourself; trusting the wordsmiths who write reviews can be a costly adventure.
IMO)
Not just your opinion.....
I now just look at the pretty pictures in the mags and whatever I like the look of I then take a listen. Boy have I lost money along the way with hifi dealers that are more like car dealers, 'highly recommended' gear that sounds like Amstrad. The reviewers are 'paid' by manufacturers so how on earth can you get an unbiased review. Roy Gregory was in the pockets of Nordost and Tom Evans, Paul Messenger - Naim and the list goes on and on.
The best thing to do is just listen with your ears. If you don't trust your own ears then you are going to be 'fooled' or is that 'bent-over' very easily.