The audio magazine industry has been weeded out by natural selection ... the survivors are the ones who support their advertisers ...
This will slowly change as the cost of getting information out to the public has come down significantly. There are a lot of audio people who value honesty and reputation over money.
Agreed. I used to read a magazine from Quebec called UHF. They had the reference system for comparison, but always seemed to be too flowery in their descriptions of listening tests. They did publish spec's - and did not pull punches about the product, REGARDLESS of if the gear was a gift or the manufacturer advertised with them.
I am also reminded of a UK mag that measured an amplifier and published their review, praising the spec's and sound, but overall dismissing the amp because "it did not weigh enough". The manufacturer took the unit back, mounted a brick inside, changed the name to V2.0, resubmitted it and received a fabulous review of the "new model"
