calbear said:
do companies in any way pay .......... to do a review of their equipment/product?
Can't speak for this website, any other magazine, or any equipment manufacturer.
But this question has been around audio (and cars, trucks, dishwashers, boats, toliet seats, toasters, airplanes, Top 40 radio etc) for a long time, and is commonly answered as such....
A couple of manufacturers (with deep pockets and lots of glossy advertising) do provide
lots of equipment (read free of charge) to be reviewed to magazines that either have a friendly policy towards free equipment, write nice reviews about everything they see/hear, are friendly towards a brand (read advertisers), or have a huge audience of readers that just want to read a wonderful, glowing review.
For most of the industry, the manufacturers seldom have budgets for free equipment (or bribes), but some of the manufacturers may budget for a few loaner items to rotate between serious reviewers (such as Audioholics). Those loaner items are few and far between, and will be typically left with the last reviewer for long term reviews. Magazines love to get those long term items.... it is a sign of respect, not a bribe.
Which means that many of the review items that you read on this website and other websites, have been purchased by the magazine for the review.
Personal note: Is cash exchanging hands? Not likely, this industry is just too small for the cash bribes to amount much more than lunch at a greasy spoon.