I think the mags serve a purpose. For the new guys it is a good place to start. Now a days you can read plenty of online reviews. Reviews are a guideline/ opinion. You may have to do some of the work yourself.Seeking this reading helps educate us. I guess once we know it all we bash the mags??Every listner, every reviewer; has their preferences--in their equip. and in their "sound"--we have to find our own preferences. Knowing a reviewers preferences,helps.
Over emphasis on reviews....
I understand that most individuals dont have the time, patience,energy, or resources to a/b and demo every audiophile choice under the sun...but the vastly different views of some componets is almost laughable...examples...the rotel 1072 cdp player was lauded in TAS but highly degraded in the Brit press(3 of 5 stars)...2 denon componets...cdp 1650 and pma-2000 were Stereophile componets while receiving lukewarm receptions over seas...the Quad L series was heavily applauded in the UK while virtually ignored in the states...I also understand that system matching is key in any review...but how many times have you read a review that labels something as "warm" only to find another review that labels it "nuetral"...there are probably better examples of my rambling...what gives?