One of my audio buddies (who used to own a high end dealership) said he knew one of the reviewers from the major publication who used to tell him that some manufacturers offered the samples at a huge discount, better price for a better review. He said that, flipping the review samples offered the reviewers a little bonus to their income.
Back in the late 70's I worked at some high-end dealerships in the DC area. I'll never forget how a speaker from a famous Japanese company in the $750/pair price range was positively reviewed in several publications, but when customers would compare them to speakers from other manufacturers, they NEVER bought the Japanese model, NEVER. There was nothing wrong with the speaker, it just wasn't at all competitive in its price range.
Back in the late 70's I worked at some high-end dealerships in the DC area. I'll never forget how a speaker from a famous Japanese company in the $750/pair price range was positively reviewed in several publications, but when customers would compare them to speakers from other manufacturers, they NEVER bought the Japanese model, NEVER. There was nothing wrong with the speaker, it just wasn't at all competitive in its price range.