I don't run a lab and I won't pretend to. What I do is the dull work most buying guides skip: read the maker's spec sheet and the retailer's listing line by line, put the numbers next to each other, check what owners actually complain about, and say plainly which one I'd buy and which one I wouldn't.
What the research is
I pull manufacturer specs, read the retailer listing, read owner reviews across several shops, check forum discussions (Reddit, Head-Fi, GearSlutz), and look at independent measurements where they exist. Where a figure comes from the maker or a seller, the page says so, and where a listing doesn't state a figure, the page says that instead of guessing.
How I compare
Products are compared on the criteria that matter for the specific use case. For headphones that might be isolation, comfort over long sessions, and sound accuracy. For audio interfaces it might be latency, preamp quality, and macOS compatibility. I don't give number scores. A product either fits the use case or it doesn't, and each recommendation says who should buy it and who shouldn't.
What I do not do
I do not run a testing lab, and I do not claim to have tested a product unless the page says I have. Where I've bought or used the product, you'll see it on the page, in first person. Everywhere else the picks come from specs, listings and owner feedback, and I'll tell you when I'm not sure.
Prices, links and dates
Prices and stock are read from the retailer on the date shown on the page, and I move that date only when I have actually checked. When I find that a product is dead, unavailable or only sold used, I say so on the page instead of linking it. I am rebuilding the guides one group at a time, so some pages are newer and better checked than others; a few older pages still carry dates from before I tightened this rule, and I'd rather tell you that than hide it.
Money
Some links pay me. Today that is EcoFlow and eufy, through Awin, in some countries; links to Amazon and other shops currently earn nothing. That is an incentive, and the rule is simple: the pick is whatever the listed specs and the price say is best for the job, and a paying link never moves a product up. See the editorial policy.