I would think that the BEST product means that it has good performance and reliability and user interface .... etc etc, but also price is good.
I don't think they mean the best as some MAGIC wands stuff.
For example, if we look at NRD-545, it scores all the top on all the aspects, but it used to cost about 2k? Even used ones go for almost 1k easy.
For most average users of radio, it is out of their budget. So, maybe NRD 545 works best (I am not sure if it does actually), but price sucks, hence it cannot be the best radio.
But the 808 works well, and the price is good, hence it is affordable to most radio users. Hence it is the best radio?
From G8JNJ site, MLA-30 looks poor product from the test results, figures and the graphs. But then how on earth a very popular youtuber in the hobby comes out with the reviews like that? = MLA-30 works very well, as good as the 10 times more expensive loop antennas, and in some aspects, it outperforms the well brook, w6lvp and lz and all the rest?
From his radio reviews and other antenna reviews, he is not telling porkies in his reviews, and anyone would know that.
Anyway, that is why it is an interesting product. MLA-30 has been around for a while, and now it is time that users must see it for themselves, not just from youtube videos or on the sites figures and graphs, but the actual ability it pulls the DX signals from the noise.
If you are listening to mostly very strong signals not far away from you, then all this loops, verticals and outside TF2Ds, I mean they are not necessary. The builtin whip antennas will hear them very well with no extra cost, effort or space. It is only when you are trying to listen to the faintest, weakest or rare DX, you need these extra efforts and expense and external space for the DX antennas. So, no other criteria is more important than that, can the external DX antenna you just installed hear the faintest DX signals that you were trying to hear in real life SWling? Can it dig out the rare DX signals that you were looking for from the mush noise? - this is what really matters in judging any external / high performing DX antennas, I suppose. Hence the graphs, and figures and theories ... yeah, maybe these factors are what reflects the performance of the antennas, but does it really and truly reflect the real performance? I am not sure. I will find it out soon.
On the issues of the old analogue radios from Sony and Panasonic, yes, I think most of them are excellent radios, but as they are very old, most of them would have been developing some kind of faults in the parts. When it goes problematic, it would be impossible for ordinary users to repair them. Or if they get repaired and restored by the professionals, then it wouldn't be cheap. And there will be some parts which are no longer available too. So it is not 100% problem free option to get the old PLL radios with discrete ICs.
If they are older vintage radios with just transistors, caps, resistors and tubes, then they can be restored and repaired by the users with just DMM and soldering iron, and the parts are still plenty and cheap in the market. For that reason, and also sheer excitement of bringing back the old dead radios to life, I am passionate on the vinatge radio restoration
So, yeah, a little ideas and opinions on the subject from different people and angles, are always interesting to ponder