Well this is the Hi-Fi industry in a nutshell really, it's subjective - if one product was simply the best, no questions asked, then that would be that and all the other companies would shut up shop. The fact there are thousands of companies producing Hi-Fi around the World shows that there is no magic solution that suits everyone's tastes and that's a good thing! The diversity on offer to enthusiasts is what many find so enticing (and infuriating at the same time!), you can tailor and tweak a system to produce what YOU consider the best sound for you.
What Hi-Fi? have always been honest about their reviews, they are a guide based on experienced opinions, not a book of facts. I'm not particularly keen on Cyrus when mixed with our speakers, like some others I find the combination too forward and aggressive at times - with that said I have also heard Cyrus systems I've liked the sound of when partnered with other products. There are probably very few "bad" products being made by reputable manufacturers, but the system in which a product is used, as well as the room can affect the sound massively (as well as the tastes of the individual reviewers being a factor).
What Hi-Fi? are actually better positioned with their reviews than many other publications in one respect - they review as a team, you're not getting one person's opinion so generally the consensus is a fairer appraisal. If I'm honest I do worry when I send product in (it's like sending your kids to School on exam day!), one aspect of that is the room the product is tested in - WHF's rooms are well designed and pretty neutral from what I've heard in them and that's all you can ask really. The product used with the speakers is more worrying as you are not told what is going to be partnered with your product and you certainly can't dictate such things!
From a manufacturers point of view it would be handy to know and have this information in the reviews, or even better to know beforehand so you could decide whether it's even worth sending something it that you know may not work in combination - the risk would be that manufacturers could start bulllying the mags to get their way and that's not in the best interests of the general public...
At the end of the day everyone is in the same boat and trends and magazine reference systems change so you can't let it affect your (the manufacturer) decisions too much - sometimes your "sound" may be in favour and partnered with something that compliments it well, other times not. All the UK magazines I've dealt with are honest in my experience and there are too many factors to say one opinion is right and another wrong, just use them as intended as a guide toward listening to a shortlist of product you think will suit your tastes when considering a purchase!
(In the meantime I'm still going to carry on trying to pursue more active speaker options to take a variable out of that chain!
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