Latest Absolute Sound

Inna, I stopped reading and listening to all of news including Stereophile, TAS etc.
There's no single word there truth.

I actually like the magazine. However, reading the drivel that RH just wrote about the new ML Neolith speaker is somewhat off-putting. I guess if I wanted a course in how to write with hyperbole I could read his article/review and gain a lot. Problem is, as soon as the next speaker comes along that can "pull the sword from the stone" he is going to have egg on his face. Stupid, IMHO to write like that about ANY piece of gear..whether it be now or in the future. However, recognizing the foolishness, and the writing style, is always a little entertaining.
IMHO.

Like others, I see audio mags as similar to car mags.  Mostly appealing to the fantasies of their readers.  Sort of a modern Sears "wish book" for adults.  I will say that most of the car magazines do a better job of balancing their coverage of uber cars with coverage of cars that the average Joe can afford.  The car and audio writers have found a way to get paid to write about a hobby they love while someone else covers the cost of the eye-wateringly expensive equipment to which they listen or drive.  Not a bad gig. 

Do I want to see reviews of a new minivan, or the new McLaren? Answer: The McLaren. High performance car reviews often put the cars through some tough driving you are likely never be able to do  unless you live near a track, but audio stuff sits there and Mister Reviewer listens and thinks up ways to describe the sound…which is a personal preference subjective activity. All one can do I suppose, but when I sit in front of MY rig I generally don't wish for different things like "man, I wish I could go 217 miles an hour"…unless something in my rig breaks. 

IF you don't have a stack of money in a briefcase for expensive gear,
there is another alternative.  Like climbing a staircase one step at a time, you gradually upgrade over a period of time (in my case over 20 years) and pay in small increments while trading in what you already have.  Waiting for the right deals to come along is fairly easy- you can
usually find at least one component becoming available every year or two that you feel delivers very refined sound but, in the case of an amplifier for example, has a scratch on the back where the speaker wires go.  Used wire is fairly inexpensive also, and so on..  
    BUT, prices have become totally unreal.  My 1st really great amp cost about $5K and THAT was crazy enough (as everyone i knew kept repeating to me).  But it really made a big difference in the sound coming out of my speakers. So i was really happy about my decision, and for several years afterwards.  Now i am on my 5th amplifier,
but i kept learning more and more as the years went by. But YES,
there is definitely a limit to what anyone would need in what most
people call home.  OTOH, If you are wealthy and have a LARGE DEDICATED
SOUND ROOM, then you don't need a magazine to tell you what to get- you fly to New York, visit all of the audio salons by appointment,
and choose whatever you want.  
   Or you buy the equipment with the most impressive appearance
and/or matches your decor.