What's the point of reviewing?

@ghdprentice "Many of us have pursued high end audio for many decades… one of the reason it can be a long term pursuit is that there is so much to learn and ultimately the problem you are trying to solve is so ambiguous"

That is the truth. 

@jl35 Auditioning in your listening room is helpful but I don't know of sellers allowing that to happen 

Many direct sale manufacturers and online dealers offer free returns. Certainly most Audiogon sellers of used gear do not ... even an audition at a dealer can be helpful if not ideal...and reviews can help if you are familiar with the reviewer 

I take reviews with a grain of salt.   To me, it's great when i buy a product and then it is on a Best Of , Buyer's Guide , or gets strong praise from critics

It is great to read other OWNER's  impressions of their gear.    Some stuff  has universal appeal and others are real niche.... its up to you to decide what's best.   What's best is to demo in home if at all possible 

Reviews provide information and it is up to the reader to determine if anything of value was passed on.  More likely, the comments provide a variety of perspectives and the value here can be more useful than the initial review.  Regarding the value of reviews found in major publications, there has been some controversy as to how advertising affects the reviewer’s perspective.

@voodoolounge 

You're right in that everyone's rooms, systems, and ears/subjective opinions are different and in no way can replace listening for yourself.

However that isn't always possible so we often turn to second and third hand opinions for further information.

Since most reviews are entirely subjective it can be of considerable help if the reviewer can provide information as to how the product compares with its better known peers.

Comparative reviews are also better because that's what we humans are good at.

And that includes reviewers.