Should mags review stuff not easily available

Wondering what people think about the stereo magazines running reviews on equipment you can't try out at the local stereo shop?
I hear about a lot of great stuff on the internet but I haven't been enticed to drive 500 miles to D.C. to hear VMPS speakers regardless of what people say.. Or spend $40-$100 on having Axiom, Athena, Nohr, or Swans shipped to my house (risk free). Could get expensive in a hurry.
It seems to me that the brick and mortar stores filter through the junk. First they have good hearing / know what the customer wants. Second if they don't sell stuff they go out of business. So their products better be good. The only bad thing being that they are slower in getting stuff on their shelves. So maybe they are missing a hot new product.

How many people buy something on the internet without hearing it first and expect to be fully satisfied? Or be better than what they presently own because someone else liked it.
Is this really a practical way to sell audio stuff where the buyer has no way of knowing what they're getting until they hear it for themselves?