The problem with magazine reviews effects the consumer and the smaller manufacturer.

I went for the reviewer (Paul Messenger) rather than the publication. It turned out that we decided on HiFi+. I wanted the next review to be in HiFi Choice. However, their policy is that the company has to have a dealer network in place and, as I have sold directly up until now, this is not possible. With the release of the new range I am looking to sell through a small number of high quality dealers so this will change. However, this is yet another area of difficulty for the smaller manufacturer.

Let's face it, larger manufacturers probably don't care if they have to 'leave' their products with the reviewer; they can afford to spend thousands of pounds on advertising and even run their own retail network (as mentioned by nsherin).