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Firstly, as a layman, it must be stressed that I don't think I can tell the readers which Hi-Fi magazine is the best as it would be a very complicated matter.
Concerning with the post, I believe "business is business". I believe "advertisements, including on-line viewings, provide the major funding of a commercial Hi Fi magazine". I also believe "a good relationship with the customers(eg. manufacturers) is of utmost importance in order to run the magazine smoothly". Keeping all these in mind, I would interpret those Hi-Fi reviews VERY carefully. (I wish I am wrong)
I really doubt most of the writers/editors would consider the decrease of readers/being less popular as the major concern of a magazine. Bias on the positive sides has become a common phenomenon, and I couldn't find any Hi-Fi magazines are not covered with smiling faces.
Yes, we may find some "usable facts"(like basic designs,specifications, etc.) or even "reliable opinions"(if the writer is still regarded by us as "honest"). Nevertheless, we will never know a component is suitable for us until we've found one and auditioned in our existing system(s). It's a matter of system matching! If you know the tricks, you will know those reviewers will always find a component "satisfactory" if they could have a long list of components available to match with the test item.
To decrease(not eliminate) the risk to choose something wrong, we usually have to work on a large-scale research into a specific item, whether on-line or off-line, just like finishing a university project.
I have subscribed Stereophile(Digital version)for 2 years. I think it's worth to do so for the moment. However, careful interpretation is still neccessary.
Best regards
Dan
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