After enough time (years in my case), I found a few reviewers who have reviewed gear I've heard or owned, own, or thinking about owning. Their reviews jive very well with my own impressions of said gear. I came to understand what Kal Rubinson means when he says "The purity of the voices was never
corrupted by the need to simultaneously
invest huge acoustical power in reproducing
the orchestra and brass bands." Steve Guttenberg's take on the Cambridge Audio Topaz AM5 paralleled mine.
Just two examples, but if I'm in the market for something, I can trust that those reviews, if available, will give me a good idea what I would experience with the item in question. There is so much gear out there now, and so much of it good gear, that I would be lost without some point of reference.