Internet reviews are a really good way to identify some of the best, most consistently good-value products in almost any hobby or field. If you look at this sub, you would think there are only a dozen brands in the entire hardware industry (I even made a meme about it).
There is so much great gear out there that you will never find reading reviews and forums. Not that there’s anything wrong with LS50’s and Schiit and Topping and SVS and Monoprice. But I think we would all do ourselves a favor to try to listen to a wide array of equipment, especially used equipment, which is often fantastic and worth 10x its cost in sound quality.
Being in a small town over two hours from a couple state capitols, listening to a wide array of equipment isn’t an especially realistic endeavor. We rely a lot on the reviews. But, you are definitely correct as we all see the same gear pop up in conversations. I tend to cruise forums and if I see something mentioned I’d never heard before I google the shit out of it and see what comments are consistent.