Michael Fremer on Audio

[Gregadd]

He has an audience, there are people there, in the room, with him, as he records his rant. As such, he is playing to his (willing and no doubt agreeing) audience.

I suppose you could conclude there are two persons present who are listening. They could easily be the producers of the video. It appears to be a listening room with records and a turntable present.

Who is he playing to: Those who have not for whatever reason given stereo, in general and vinyl particular, a chance, in so doing to trust their own perception.
For that reason I do cut him some slack, I can get that a lot of it is tongue in cheek and designed to raise a knowing laugh.

How then, is it an attack?

Now, what term would you use [An impassioned plea] (who agrees with him)
[If you agree with him you need do nothing.] To characterize his rant to start the video? Would you call it a fair and reasoned precis of the 'objectivist opinion'? Or perchance an attack, using deliberate exageration and misrepresentation.

It's his opinion with which you and others are free to accept or ignore.

So who then, attacked?

You did. By the name that was deleted. By calling it a rant and strawman crap.

 

[Andre Marc]

The problem in saying DSD is it really DSD or DSD converted to PCM?

'Course if DSD is the cat's meow, how come everyone is crowing about 2XDSD being much better?

Good points.

 

[NorthStar]

---2XDSD is the new 'Audiophile' stuff then?

Many recordings using that type of digital processing?

* Sorry Mikey for locking you in the closet, for now.

 

[NorthStar]

---It ain't in the measurements; it's in the HEART of LPs and in the SOUL of SACDs. :b

Science acts in mysterious ways sometimes; and at the end it's just that, a set of measurements to go by, but certainly not the ultimate prediction.

_______________________

In the year 2012, how hard is it to make a perfect album (LP), without any flaws?
And the very same question for a Compact Disc (or an SACD).

Now, how hard is it to perfectly align a turntable's speed, perfectly balance a tonearm,
and perfectly adjust a cartridge?
And what else do you need to adjust; vertical tracking, weight, suspension, record clamp, clean album, various angles for this and for that (vertical & horizontal & diagonal), ... and how long till you can start that album? ...And how long till you have to flip side, and how many times do you have to get up in a three hours listening session, and how much time is needed all together in preparation, before, during, and after that analog listening session?
And how do you truly feel after that day? Are you exhausted? Do you sleep good on that night?

And with a CD or SACD player; do you have any of those very annoying inconveniences (analog audiophile rituals)?
And if you want to go beyond Stereo, what do you do?

And you all know as much as I that I can write few books on elaborating on the subject.

And you also know that most people just simply don't give a nickel of a thought about it.
They're real happy with Bose, and downloading from their PCs and Macs.
...Kids with their iPods and MP3 resolution. ...Plus their own music style.

'Bout those kids; do they read Michael Fremer's reviews on turntables and all that jazz?
So, Mikey, who is he talkin' to? ...Yup, you got that one right.

And please, remain in the year 2012, for now. ...With fast access to the entire world's cultures. :b

 

[NorthStar]

Terry, Michael Fremer on Audio, not just that first video, but overall, for the last thirty years or so; any good or/and bad stuff?

And did you know that he contributed first hand on the audio soundtrack of the first original movie 'Tron'?

 

[terryj]

Terry, Michael Fremer on Audio, not just that first video, but overall, for the last thirty years or so; any good or/and bad stuff?

And did you know that he contributed first hand on the audio soundtrack of the first original movie 'Tron'?

Is that a serious question?? Look, dunno. this is about the first thing I have seen him do, you mean he has ton's of this sort of stuff? Anyway, if the beginning is an indication of what to expect for thirty years, then pass.

And no I did not, thanks for asking.

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

I haven't read or heard or seen that much of him, so this is a response to a narrow set of data, not his career: Fremer, it seems to me, is to audio what Rush Limbaugh is to politics -- blustering, opinionated, radical...not reality based...more an entertainer than a serious commentator. And the only thing shocking in his shock value is that so many people take him seriously.

Tim

 

[audioguy]

I think Fremer takes Fremer seriously. Most with enlarged egos tend to do that --- and he's not the only reviewer to have a highly elevated opinion of himself.

 

[MylesBAstor]

I really find it amazing, but entirely predictable, how this discussion has de-evolved.

I think it's time that the mods put this thread down.

At the same time, everyone who is dumping on Mikey ought to reread the site's mission statement. Unlike many people here, Mikey is always trying to push the envelope for getting the best sound out of his home playback system. And for those who have ridiculed his hearing, I suggest you re-acquaint yourselves with the pages of Stereophile where both he and John Atkinson have done DBLT and passed with flying colors.

 

[Soundminded]

In 1973 while I was in Lisbon, I visited a carriage museum. There was this one horse drawn carriage the tour guide pointed out that the Pope had used for a trip from the Vatican to Lisbon back in some time forgotten era, something like the 15th or 16th century. It took 6 months. What a bumpy endless ordeal that must have been. When I hear people like Fremer talk about the proper way to set up a turntable, tone arm, phono cartridge, I'm reminded of someone talking about how to tune the suspension of one of those carriages to minimize the bumps in the ride. BTW I flew back to Madrid probably on a 727. It took about an hour or less and it occurred to me that it would have only taken another hour or two to get to Rome. Very smooth ride that day.

In this 2 1/2 hour pitch for high end audio in general and phonograph records in particular that Fremer participated in, compare the CD at 1:03 and the LP at 1:05. Listening through the speakers on my 41" Visio monitor there's hardly any comparison. The CD is far clearer, the LP (cut at 45 RPM) is muffled, muted, much inferior by comparison. It's no contest and why I prefer CDs to LP, solid state to tubes, and when I have to listen to LPs, a MM cartridge to an MC cartridge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY5hI98HEi0

I suppose on a shrill audiophile sound systems optimized for that kind of equipment with tweeters beaming their high frequencies like a laser beam right at you and your head in a vise in the so called sweet spot the opposite results might be obtained. Comparisons like that are IMO entirely invalid.

They say beauty is in the eye or ear of the beholder but if this is the kind of god awful noise people like Fremer, Atkinson, and the rest of that crowd expect to sell high end audio equipment on, it's small wonder most people are satisfied with ear buds and an mp3 player. If that was all there was, personally I'd prefer dead silence or the twittering of birds.

 

[RBFC]

Temporarily closed.

Lee

 

[Steve Williams]

I'll go one further and agree with Myles that this thread should be permanently closed.