Rok, I liked all your submissions; Gene Harris the best, but I don't want to change the subject of this thread.
Your comment in regard to Stereophile and Stereo Review tracks with the subject of this thread. There was also the magazine "Audio"; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_(magazine), it quit in the year 2000.
Stereo Review; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_%26_Vision_(magazine) For all practical purposes "Stereo Review" quit at about the same time but maybe a little later.
Neither of those magazines was strictly "High End" as are Stereophile and TAS. but both "high end" magazines are still around; I wonder why?
I subscribed to "Stereo Review" for decades; so long that I felt as though Julian Hirsch was a member of my family.
"Audio" was the most informative; I designed the crossover for my custom speakers (with the help of an engineer) based on information from "Audio".
At that time my rig consisted of components Julian Hirsch had reviewed. It wasn't until about 1990 that I got into the Hi-end; that was when brick and mortar high end emporiums still existed, they opened up a new world for me. Although quite expensive, it was a leap above what I already owned.
My thesis is that this is all related to the incomes of the people who subscribed to these magazines. Believe it or not, while some in the high end are very well off, the bulk of the people I saw frequenting those emporiums were people with good solid jobs who budgeted more than most on audio equipment.
Since those high end emporiums are no more, I relate that to so many of those good solid jobs being no more, which leaves those who are truly well off left for the high end.
Maybe others can run with what I've given.