In general I think mag reviews should be treated like stock analysts -- use them to get information and some indications, but do your own homework in making final decisions on what to buy. Even if a reviewer does a great job and is completely honest, they're only reporting from the context of their room and their system with their own biases and tastes mixed in, and your experience could be very different.
And I do think tastes vary across the pond just as they do in Japan. In Europe you'll find a lot of cement walls and in Japan you'll find lots of small rooms, and these types of things lead to certain preferences dictated somewhat by geographical/cultural differences. So the same rule applies -- try before you buy. In general I find the Brits prefer a warmer, richer sound with fuller mids and more laid-back highs(maybe due to those cement walls), which would somewhat explain their lukewarm response to the Creek that is more in the neutral camp. Likewise I find American speakers to be more lively and detailed, in general, than speakers from the U.K. Of course this varies significantly from model to model.
All that said, one thing that really bugs me is when a reviewer gives no context for the review by not including a comparison with other similar equipment. If he doesn't have any suitable competitor on hand he should get something or give the review to someone else who does. It is very hard for humans to make absolute decisions -- we are much better at relative decisions, so when a reviewer relates how one piece of equipment sounds relative to another it goes a long way toward helping us as readers figure out where a certain product fits in the audio spectrum. I won't read any publication that does not provide this context.
I also won't read reviews written by people who clearly haven't been "audiophiles" very long. You can tell by the limited way they describe the sonic characteristics of a product if they really have the breadth of knowledge and experience to back up what they say, and sometimes they'll write something that is flat out wrong. I can also sometimes tell by their "reference" system that someone may be a novice with no fear of spouting out crap. I see no value in these reviews and find that they can actually do more harm than good, and with emags becoming more prevalent I'm seeing more of this disturbing trend(although some of the emags I find quite good and in some ways prefer them to their print counterparts).
So for me I guess they all carry about the same weight in that I'll use them purely for information (exceptions above excluded) and that's it. Anyone who uses audio reviewers (or stock analysts) to make buying decisions deserves what they get.
As for your situation Matty, if I were buying an integrated I wouldn't buy it in a vacuum -- I'd at least find the speakers I was going to match them with to make sure there is good synergy there. Otherwise you may buy the amp and find later that the speakers you really like actually sound better with one of the other integrateds or require more power than your integrated can deliver, and that would be a shame. Best of luck.
Tim
