Honest Reviewers ?

It's possible that the same phrases recur in reviews because they come as close to expressing what the reviewer has experienced as any words might. "Lifting veils" and "letting the music play" convey a perception clearly, in my opinion...and have been applied by reviewers to other components than cable. With respect to synergy, reviewers in the magazines you mention typically indicate the component complement with which they've auditioned cables (and, again, other components)...and frequently compare the cable under review with other cables used in the same system. What's problematical here is that (all too) frequently the equipment with which the review component is associated is in the megabuck stratosphere that I know I sure as heck can't traverse. The proof of the pudding, of course, is in the listening...which is why your best option might be to take up the offer of some vendors to audition the cable in your home for up to 30 days before making a decision on whether to buy. Reviewers can take you only so far, after all...perhaps only as far as piqueing your interest. _You_ have to do the "dirty work" of evaluating whether the product suits you.

It just has to do with what becomes an accepted mode of discourse in the industry/hobby. That's always the test of the creativity of a reviewer: If he can come up with a new descriptive phrase, that might "catch on" and become understood by the rest of them, and their readers. We've all been resentful of the perks reviewers get on a daily basis at one time or another, but we get over it after our systems get to a certain level of satisfaction, IMHO. Of course they can never be perfectly objective, and sometimes they're f^%&!#@ liars, but as a whole they do more good than bad for our hobby.

This idea can be drawn out further. Is it possible that magazine advertising influences what the reviewer says? I can't recall ever seeing a review where the reviewer said: "don't buy this product if you want a good home theater" etc. If that is the case then how can one trust any review that comes from a consumer magazine? Although I have a subscription with SGHT I usually cross-check all their reviews with places like: http://www.audioasylum.com/ and http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/main.html