When I'm looking for a new product, I start with a budget and look for all of the interesting models in a given price range, then look at professional reviews of each. Not for whether or not its a good product, but to get an idea what the product performed like. (for instance, whether or not a speaker is bright, relaxed, what the soundstaging is like, etc.)
Then I go for consumer reviews for build quality and customer service opinion. Many pro reviews say that their product was a pre-release model or had been reviewed by other companies before they got it, etc. So I don't always find it a good indicator. OTOH, you have to wade carefully through consumer reviews so you don't get caught by the gushers and the haters.
So it tends to be a balancing act. From there, I go to the listening tests before deciding.