Some reviews are fairly straight forward and provide great insight. If a reviewer is writing about a new CD player and all other components used in the evaluation are the same then I can reference other reviews and begin to form an opinion. So much of the performance of other components has to do with synergy. Power cords and interconnects all have a huge impact on ones impression with the product they are reviewing. This must be difficult to control. Therein lies the problem. At least a retailer has the opportunity to mix and match components from the display models to form their own opinions. Those of us with a single system are at a disadvantage to really compare.
I agree that the rags cater to the big advertisers. I also agree that the Audiogon review format needs improvement but I don't consider myself qualified to make suggestions. I read the Audiogon reviews and glean a few nuggets along the way. I'm writing a review that won't be all compliments and it's taking way more time than I thought it would because I'm being careful to make comparisons of three combinations.
If you are fortunate enough to live in an area with retailers that allow prolonged listening in their stores and encourage in-home auditions with pieces that are burned in then the job is made much easier. You can rely on your ears and focus your research on product reliability, etc. For us in the boondocks the reviews are very helpful even if not perfect.
I agree that the rags cater to the big advertisers. I also agree that the Audiogon review format needs improvement but I don't consider myself qualified to make suggestions. I read the Audiogon reviews and glean a few nuggets along the way. I'm writing a review that won't be all compliments and it's taking way more time than I thought it would because I'm being careful to make comparisons of three combinations.
If you are fortunate enough to live in an area with retailers that allow prolonged listening in their stores and encourage in-home auditions with pieces that are burned in then the job is made much easier. You can rely on your ears and focus your research on product reliability, etc. For us in the boondocks the reviews are very helpful even if not perfect.