...and far too often I’ve read or watched a review of gear that sounded promising only to be disappointed at the end by the disclosure that the product is "somewhat forward". This seems to be a very common refrain, these days. Do most people simply prefer overtly bright sound?
I think many audiophiles do, especially the ones who aren’t into truly acoustic (unamplified) music. Often sound-reinforcement systems are ear-splittingly bright, and that can seem normal to some.
Another issue is that many hi-fi speakers have a rise in response in the sibilance range. (Just look at the measurements in Stereophile or Soundstage.) That treble excess can be perceived as more detail (well, in a sense it IS more detail), but the joy of that detail can be killed when the excess begins to irritate.
Finally, I suspect that sort of exaggerated detail is useful in selling speakers, because it makes them more impressive. (Many reviews say something like, "I heard things I never heard before in this recording"?) It’s long after the credit card has been charged that the peaky treble starts to rub the buyer the wrong way.