The only way to get large sensor quality is with a large sensor! It's just plain physics, no amount of technology is going to get round that. I have no idea what the reviewer was on about (linking to the review for some context might help)!
Large sensors are about more than just light gathering and noise. They offer many advantages:
- sharpness / microcontrast
- fast wideangle lenses
- improved light gathering ability
- shallower depth of field / greater subject isolation.
There are of course non-DSLR cameras with large sensors, starting with the smallish micro 4/3rds cameras like the olympus pen, to the slightly larger fixed lens Fuji x100, and Sony NEX system, to the full frame Leica M9 digital rangefinder. The quote was referring to these other options.