I used to subscribe to Stereophile and now often read it on line. Their reviews are pretty good and include measurements. The problem is that everything is always positive. You can find how they classify them (A,B,C,D) in Recommended Components issue but in reviews you have to read between lines. For example "It is not perfect, but what is" statement means "It is pretty bad". They do this to keep money from advertising coming and for the same reason they don't review some brands. I've never seen a review of Jeff Rowland amplifier in Stereophile. I took risk buying all my gear without audition (no local dealers) but I've read tons of reviews. One review is just not enough.
Recently I bought Sony 4K TV. It had great reviews and according to my research it was better choice than Samsung, at this price level. I went to local store and it was disappointing. My wife said "the picture is horrible" and I explained to her that reviews are great. We brought it home and it was really bad. I found recommended settings in one of the reviews (10 step Gamma etc.) and entered it. Suddenly, picture is incredible. So much for the audition.
Recently I bought Sony 4K TV. It had great reviews and according to my research it was better choice than Samsung, at this price level. I went to local store and it was disappointing. My wife said "the picture is horrible" and I explained to her that reviews are great. We brought it home and it was really bad. I found recommended settings in one of the reviews (10 step Gamma etc.) and entered it. Suddenly, picture is incredible. So much for the audition.