Having gone from a city once rich in audio retail (NYC) to Austin (which is pretty thin on the ground), many people cannot get the opportunity to audition equipment before they buy- let alone in their own systems. That of course is the ideal before plunking down your hard-earned.
The direct to consumer models, where home trial is offered, with some adjustment on returns/shipping costs borne by the buyer, is OK- I guess for smaller items- say a DAC-- it may not be a big deal. But, for larger items, turntables that require set up, cartridges- which are usually not returnable unless defective, people simply don't have the opportunity to assess for themselves.
Thus, the agonizing. I think people are better served by user input from those who have actual hands-on experience than by the legacy audio press. Obviously, no two systems and rooms are the same either. But a broad cross section of users of a specific piece of gear should give the reader a fairly good gauge of what the unit in question can do, what its weaknesses are, where the synergies lie.
Nothing wrong with that in my estimation. That is one of the values of a forum such as this.