Stereophile and the other reputable publications do provide a bellwether of sorts for sorting audio gear, but there is an unfortunate side effect to their approach for those seeking guidance in sorting through the myriad of component offerings for purchase: If a component is auditioned for review and does not cut muster in a substantial way, they normally don't publish a review, nor do they tell their readership about this when it occurs, excepting possibly KR or Tom Gillette (Sam Tellig) when he was there. I understand the wisdom of this for a publication that depends almost entirely on advertising revenues for its existence, but it does limit the usefulness for those seeking to narrow the field for purchasing decisions.
So, IMO, one can assume that the components listed in Recommended Components are ones of substantial merit, but so few of the great components available are included due to the realities of limited time and resources for thorough review. Just how it is.
A second point is that it is impossible to keep non-current components in the mix of ratings. Those on a budget (including me) need to seriously consider the true audio bargains in the used market, but unless one has possession of (or keen knowledge/memory of) the years of reviews in past issues, the options are to limited to selecting from the lower categories of recent reviews that are within their budget.
Thirdly, by the very nature of being reviewers (I have reviewer friends), they cannot possibly find the optimal combinations of gear available for review that provide the best ultimate synergy. The reviewers have their vast experience and the network they share with other reviewers to guide them in pairings for review, but this is a far cry from what is necessary to find the best combinations necessary for long-term listening satisfaction.
Fourthly and lastly, there is little information about how to tweak the sound of components to provide their best performance. I include cabling, power enhancement products, room acoustical treatments, and vibration-reduction products in this category (for the purpose of this writing but I certainly consider these things as vital to achieving great sound in the home environment) . Tweaks are under such scrutiny/denial/criticism by so many and the time to identify the best ones for each component and application is simply impossible for reviewers. The best guide is to carefully examine the reviewers' list of "associated components" the accompanies the review for a vague idea of what that reviewer uses as a general setup. Many a component has suffered an inaccurate review due to ignorance about compatible cabling. Smart manufacturers get involved in the review of their equipment and personally see to it that this is addressed, but little is normally included in the review about this.
So where does this leave us? Competent advice from friends who are farther along the journey and share our preferences in sound characteristics, interaction with local audio societies, and with forums such as this to ask others who have more experience and then to sort the responses to pick the ones of most benefit and application to our circumstances and those with the most perceived credibility. The challenge here is to know the right questions to ask and how to interpret the responses, which unfortunately also takes some level of experience.
Perhaps most of all, to understand the notion of the hierarchy of "foundation components" (those that are primary to establishing a successful path to great sounding systems) before buying a component that will sent us off into a unnecessarily difficult and expensive journey to accommodate its idiosyncracies. Room =>Speakers=>AC quality=> Vibration isolation=>Source=> Preamp=>Amplifier=>cabling would be my recommended path FWIW.
Best to all,
Dave
