Many years ago I worked at a high-end shop and we had a number of bookshelf speakers in the $700 or so a pair price range. One of the major audio publications of the time gave a glowing review of a pair in that range from a major manufacturer which were well made, but we never sold them after demonstrating speakers from other manufacturers in that same price range, not a single pair. I suspected that, when a manufacturer is spending significant amounts on advertising with a publication/website, that might be sufficient "persuasion" to generate positive reviews.
