Much of the time, it's not even necessary to pay, as they get equipment as loaners that they keep for many months (and sometimes years). In fact, an occasional problem is reviewers not returning equipment, as they have tremendous power over the industry and manufacturers tend to be reluctant to cross them. The large majority of two-channel manufacturers are close to, if not completely, mom and pop operations for whom a $1 million in yearly revenues is only a dream -- a negative word in a magazine like TAS or Stereophile can be devastating.
An example of the strength of the magazines generally is when Stereophile dropped Dunlavy's bread-and-butter SC-IV/A speaker from "Class A" to "Class B" in its Recommended Components list. I am not alleging any impropriety on the part of Stereophile or anyone else, but my dealer (who is a good dealer) said this was the beginning of the end for Dunlavy.
