Internet reviews are a really good way to identify some of the best, most consistently good-value products in almost any hobby or field. If you look at this sub, you would think there are only a dozen brands in the entire hardware industry (I even made a meme about it).
There is so much great gear out there that you will never find reading reviews and forums. Not that there’s anything wrong with LS50’s and Schiit and Topping and SVS and Monoprice. But I think we would all do ourselves a favor to try to listen to a wide array of equipment, especially used equipment, which is often fantastic and worth 10x its cost in sound quality.
I do not blame reviewers. You are describing “the good old days” when there were more and varied hifi equipment stores. And if you had 10 of them in one city, some would have to bring in different products to create their own niche. Greater selection. Greater shopping experience. It is OUR shopping habits that drove them away. About the internet - all the information is out there somewhere. It is our browsing habits that