Sterophile's not so nice review of Bryston

Mitch2 hit it on the head. Want a bad reveiw? Just look at what pieces of gear from well-known manufacturer's don't ever get reveiwed by any of the big magazines. Probably a reason that they don't, since most reviewers attend the big electronics shows and smaller events around the country where they listen to gear and, by their own admission, screen what they're going to look at in more detail.

So, the Bryston amp must have peaked somebody's interest, and then it didn't pan out under closer scrutiny. Interesting, because other Bryston gear has been receiving rave reviews lately, especially their small integrated, CD player and DAC. In any case, I read the original review and Manufacturer's rebuttle with some interest, thinking this must be have been a real dilema for the editors.

I usually think that if you want to know what reveiwers really think, look at what they end up buying for themselves. I don't always agree with their choices, but at least you know where they stand on that particular piece.

OK, so perhaps reviewers don't exactly "buy" the gear they keep around for reference. But they do keep certain pieces around to compare with review equipment, and it appears to me that they try to keep gear that is particualrly good at one or two things, and/or better than average overall for a particular retail price point, even if this "choice" is colored by manufacturer "discounts".

That said, I don't always agree with reviewer's "choices" based on my (very) limited experience. But it is a "choice" on their part nevertheless. I guess I doubt very much that reviewers universally accept, keep and tout crap gear just because it is free, or worse, incentivised.