Over emphasis on reviews....

What Hi Fi and Hi Fi Choice tend to focus on the middle of the pack manufacturers and component shoot-outs. There is a tendency to judge the components based on initial impressions. To simulate real world situations, they will pair up a component with similarly priced associated equipment (budget speakers to budget amps). They certainly do not live with the components for any appreciable amount of time. They often pick the component that impresses the most as the shoot-out "winner," which is why they tend to have so many flavors of the month. For example, five star budget speaker winners have changed hands from Monitor Audio to Wharfedale to Tannoy in the space of a year over at What Hi-Fi.

If you look at the middle of the pack brands that are touted by the US magazines like Stereophile and TAS ... Creek; EPOS; NHT; Rotel... they are rarely shoot-out winners in the UK. I have chalked this up to the British magazines preferring a different type of sound (more forward especially in the treble) and using different types of music in their reviews (lots of dance). Also saving 50 to a 100 quid is considered a big deal in the British magazines, whereas we tend to be indifferent by a $100 or so price difference.

Now, Stereophile and TAS do sometimes forget that most people do not pair $600 speakers with $1500+ amps and $500 in cables, but that is what they do. On the plus side, they do spend more time learning the personality of the component.

As you go higher priced/higher end, you will see more of a meeting of the minds with the magazines that focus on these components (Hi Fi Plus; Stereophile; TAS).

Regards, Rich

No surprises...reviewers are often influenced by advertising $$$  or £££ and the constant need to define something new and fashionable.

System matching is gigantic IMO. It is very difficult to discern the sound of a component, and to predict how it will sound in another set up, you can almost forget it. Even the reviewers have to stick their neck out to some degree, not to mention deadlines or blatent dishonesty. What I am saying is: it is a difficult task with too many real world issues for the reviewing system to be flawless.

I have read many reviews that I felt were spot on. The Manley Stingray and Maggie 1.6 and JM Reynaud Trente to name a few.

I do not mean to defend anyone, just my opinion...

I think reviews are pretty useless, I see so many diffrent opinions and safe words used in all opinions, and any so called golden ear can simply claim synergy and they are never held accountable for anything said in a review.

Reviews used judiciously have been very helpful to finding good euqipment. I received Stereophile for about two years, and in that time, I believe it did absolutely nothing for finding an affordable outperforming component, whether speaker or cdp, etc.
I got sick and tired of the format and politics of the magazine, so I dumped it. I never felt that they were honest enough in their assessment of the equipment. No matter what the problems with the component being reviewed, their reviews had to end with an "it's good" commendation. That sells components, but it doesn't help the audiophile one bit in making selections. It just keeps the people flowing to the showrooms.
Conversely, I recently saw a review in HiFi+ which panned the NuForce 9 amps. How refreshing to see an honest review that says the component doesn't live up to the hype! If I ever get the chance (there is a Nuforce dealer living nearby, who offered to let me demo them vs. my PS Audio HCA-2) to hear them in my system, I would, just to see if my judgement agrees with HiFi+'s.
My experience with the times I've glanced at HiFi+ Mag has been very positive. That they focus primarily on shootouts to mid priced components is advantageous to me, considering that like most people, that is where my budget for audio is.
I have found users' reviews, like on audioreview.com to be far more useful in finding real-world high quality to price components. I weigh the comments regarding the component over against the associated equipment owned by the reviewer.
I also check to see what equipment the reviewers owned previously, if that information is offered.

Strangely, after many years of purchases away from a dealer, I went back and bought new for cdp, putting emphasis on the opinion of the store owner who educated me as to the merits of the player.
The Audiogon community has been very helpful, as I once did an upgrade based on the majority opinion of the responses to my inquiry here. It was a delightfully good upgrade.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that he reviewers need to agree with you! They are only as good as they confirm your suspicions of which components are worthy in your opinon! ;) Again, HiFi+ has done this on two occasions; once in a favorable review of the Eminent Technology LFT-8A speakers, which I found to be far superior to the Magnepan 1.6's which are so adored by the masses. And again, recently, when they did the shootout between the Rega Apollo cdp and two others. They discreetly said the Apollo was superior sonically.
I had previously owned both components prior to finding the reviews, but I found the reviews to be "spot on", as they might say. Whatever their methods, they seem to get to the same conclusions I do regarding good sound, and they do it without being loquacious.

Having said all this, I now do not receive any audio magazines. I visit Barnes and Noble once a month to spend about an hour perusing them. I found that when I received regular doses of advertsing that remained to entice me I was less happy with my equipment/sound and spent more time considering upgrades.