The "how many reviews it got" rule

It's obvious that people only review gears that they like.  I don't know of anyone would go out of their way to bring a bad component they don't like to their place and waste their time for a couple of weeks just for the heck of it.
Therefore if a gear is being reviewed, it's most likely a quality component that they already like.  Some have brought up the issue that Stereophile only reviews established brands, well it's the same reason I only purchase components from establish brand because I don't want to take the risk just as Stereophile probably doesn't want to take the risk of reviewing some suspect components that may go out of business the next year.
Now the other issue that brought up is that do any reviewer just outright lie?  Turning a bad component into a good one.  If they did that, I don't think they would be in business for very long.  I doubt a lot of reviewers do that.  Some have brought up this issue but I am not sure there was any evidence other than hearsay. 

But it's probably true that some established professional magazine such as HiFi+ or Stereophile do have their preferred brands but that does not mean they misrepresent themselves in the reviews.  It's like advertisements.  Their ads money may steer them toward a certain brands than others but that does not mean their reviews are less than honest.

It is a business.  The reviews are for information purposes only.  They are not written to say this one is better than that one.  They compare what the reviewer hears in their system, not yours.  Use them as a guide.  Once you read a review, go hear that component at a dealer to see if you hear what the reviewer is writing about.  If you hear what the reviewer comments on, then you can understand the reviewer and how they hear sound.  Also, small companies and start up companies do not get reviews, understand why?

Happy Listening.  

There is an old saying that I believe to be true’, “We do not see what is in front of our eyes, we see what is behind them”. I think this applies to audio equipment and reading reviews. Once we take on a belief about a product, it sticks. The product might not be very good, or a good value but that will not matter. The audio mags create a lot of that “belief”, I think mostly to help sell audio equipment. 
Bigkidz and Mikepowellaudio make good points here. I would only use reviews as a very rough guide and don’t take them serious. Go and listen to any equipment that peaks your interest. Decide for yourself, be your OWN audio guru. The belief should not come from a review. IMHO.