Reviews, Reviewers, Magazines, Internet personalities where do they rank and what is important and what isn't?

[Elliot G.]

The landscape of the audio Industry has changed over the last 20 years and the role of the Magazines/reviewers/internet etc. has changed with it.
How important are the magazines today ( whether print or online)?
What do you feel is the most important one or ones?
How do american magazines influence the rest of the world?
How do european and Asian magazines influence the rest of the world?

What purpose do they serve to you the reader? dealer? distributor or manufacturer?
Please be nice this isn't about assassinating anyone's character but rather about discussing their role in the High End Audio World today and going forward.
last but not least if you had to pick the most important one which one would you choose and why?

some examples;
Positive Feedback
The Absolute Sound
Stereophile
Stereo Sound
Audiotechnique

 

[facten]

I subscribe to 2 of the above, and occasionally read reviews on others. I don't place any degree of relative importance on one versus another,I use any and all simply as a source of what equipment is new and someone's impression of said equipment. As far as non-American magazines are concerned for me they are just another source of information on equipment that I may not be acquainted with and that hasn't been reviewed by an American magazine.

 

[docvale]

I would assume that we all read audio magazines regardless of the current goal of purchasing new audio gear.
I would think we read them for the curiosity to learn what’s out there, even if we might consider ourselves “done” in the process to assemble a system that fits into our budget.
I would also give for granted that there’s some reviewers that we like to read better than the others, and not necessarily for an alleged alignment in “musical presentation taste”, but, at least for me, for the writing style and its entertaining purpose.