Is this common place? Are there reviewers who are more trustworthy than others?
Or it really does come down to audition with your own ears because not only can you not know what another prefers, they may or may not be honest in their own right?
Help me out here?
Yes
No
In this business it is a rule not to write negative, even when you get ear cancer. A favor here for a favor there, that's the way it works.
The worst you can do is to educate yourself. When you learned something you will discover how many distributors, manufacturers, dealers are in this business who would fail in any serious business. Opinions rules this business. Not knowledge.