Stereophile complains it's readers are too informed.

 deviations from a certain standard.


I believe standards are real,, but I will not mention any product names. 
Read the reviws from unbiased critics,,that will tell you where the standards are. 
In speakers, I know well that SEAS is The Gold Standard. 
Scan Speak and SB are excellent, but as in all things of this world,,where Olympic swimmers win a  silver medal due to  ~~losing~~ by a  milli second, = no gold cigar, onlya  silver cigar...in speakers we also need Gold Standard (SEAS) , Silver Standard, Bronze Standard.
Time to bring audiophile out the early medieval times into at least The Renaissance Epoch...,,,, then we can start to move into ~~THe Audiophile Enlightment era~~~
Snakeoil buster here.

~~~Whena   componet is measured,,,to what should be the comparison reference?~~~
Answer is easy, experience,,of course not exp as to say you've heard every speaker on the market,,
I have some 40 yrs, off/on audiophile experience...It does not take me long to figure out what grade i consider a  piece of audio.
Of course its not easy at times,,, you have to know how the amp is voicing in the system, the cd player is voicing and thus is reflected in the speakers.. You need to analyze how each is affecting the overall sound..
Thus if I hear a  over bloated midrange,,I know well enough there is no amplification chnage which will delete  /cancel the muddiness of the speakers unique character. Lets say the listening audition room in the adio shop has another set of spakers to compare,,now you can hear how the amp responds to speaker B vs speaker A. 
IMHO, SEAS speakers are the benchmark against which all speakers are measured. Relatively speaking,, I am not refering to speakers over 100 lbs. Speakers over 100 lbs are dinosaurs as they offer nothing over which a  99 lb /less speaker can offer, w/o breaking the bank, nor the back. 
Bigger is not always better, and in this case, not in any way superior to a  99lb/less speaker. 
Conclusion : all speakers over 100 lbs should not be drawn into a  topic of speaker recommendations. 
I see anudiogoners mentioning /suggesting speakers w/o telling us any of that speakers defects = its over 100 lbs and costs $$$$$$. IMHO speakers over say $3K, make sure you bring up the price factor , this way we are all ~~Informed/Educated/Enlightened~~~
this is what the author is trying to get across. 
Lets all get out of lala land (leave lala fantasy land to the CV19 hype propagandists *The Experts~~~ and let us audiophiles speak with some authority and accuracy,, We all want our systems to present highly refined music images,,yet most here on audiogon convey biased muddy opinions,,which do not help for the seekers who want solid fair evaluations.
Snakeoil buster here

@ cdamiller

 The only convincing factor is what you hear..


Yes very true,, But the old stereo shops offering speakers X,Y,Z are now a thing of the past, 
We are left to hopev for honest opinions from Audiogonners and Sterophile to leda us in the right direction,,and not lead us astray,,,((tongeincheeck)))
I make uploads on YT, this way folks at least get a inkiling of how each of my components sound. 
Sure the micing is shabby (can 't afford a  high tech mic right now,,all my money has been blown in modifications)), YT sound compressed,,but you at least geta   hint of how my speakers sound. via my components.
There is no other YT vid showing the Seaws Thor.. So if someone has a interest in the Thors,,he can at least get a  hint of what to expect..
I have uploaded about 5 audiophile vids,,and plan to make  another 20+ more over the commming 12 months,,, as i document all my new upgrades, tweeks, mods.
While others disclaim that a  YT vid has any ligeit value as to determing how a  component/mod sounds,,I havea  ability to translate what i hear,,and get a  inkling of yea/nay vote on the component/mod.
Thing is one needs experience, long term and a  instinct at determing what one is hearing viaYT upload format...
.

kinds of speakers out there and theres no single design that is favored overwhelmingly.

I could never come around to speakers with high efficency, designed for SET amplification.
I am a  devotee of low efficiency speakers which a  nice push pull can deliver to respond. 
also i could never come around to any speaker witha weight more than 100 lbs,,would not even make it a consideration. 
Also I am favored towrads a  midtweeter. vs a  super tweeter. 
Lastly I am a  devotee of the MTM design,,although I do seea  SEAS 2 way thats seems very convincing,, but next to my MTM Thors,,might be a  let down. 
So although there are many designs, ,, it is up to us to research and figure outa  plan as to whaich works best for our individual preferences.