Michael Fremer Leaving Stereophile?

[mhardy6647]

Yes Kal is obviously a great guy !
...

And with good visual acuity and classic taste in record players.
Me?! Suck up!?
Inconceivable!

...But as I wrote JA is the reason I keep paying for Stereophile... trustworthy measurements ;-)

Who am I to disagree?

 

[DMill]

Yes Kal is obviously a great guy !

But as I wrote JA is the reason I keep paying for Stereophile... trustworthy measurements ;-)

(JA) I’ve seen him interviewed. Never met him. Can’t help thinking he set the stage for a site like this to measure gear in an objective way. He rarely offered opinion but he had a few, “not sure why they liked this so much but here’s how it measures…” in his comments. He seems like a great guy and is welcome in my house until he tells me my gear sucks after a couple scotch whiskys

 

[Kal Rubinson]

I was wondering if they where case lots of cartridges. I know we used to order them in by the flats and so it was not far fetched to think that.

The number 98 gives it away.

 

[restorer-john]

Not Rek-O-Kut, either. Thats an Empire 398. See the arm boxes on the shelf?
That said, I had a couple of those and I don't know how they keep the platter/bearing from falling out of the (inverted) well.

Dad still has his Empire 398a (a=antiskate) with the dyna lift magnetic lifter.

98 arm was the predecessor to the later 980 arm.

The bearing was modified for the 'show' with a retainer, although the entire function of the thrust bearing was lost. I bet they also had to secure the pulley cover, as the three split pins would have never held the cover plate on for long. The mat would have also fallen off- so it must have been glued on and some form of record clamp needed. And the poor motor would have been resting on the plinth without the spring loaded suspension.

All to prove a spring derived tracking force arm functioned.

 

[Music1969]

Can’t help thinking he set the stage for a site like this to measure gear in an objective way.

Him and HiFi News have been at this for decades.

 

[mhardy6647]

Dad still has his Empire 398a (a=antiskate) with the dyna lift magnetic lifter.

98 arm was the predecessor to the later 980 arm.

The bearing was modified for the 'show' with a retainer, although the entire function of the thrust bearing was lost. I bet they also had to secure the pulley cover, as the three split pins would have never held the cover plate on for long. The mat would have also fallen off- so it must have been glued on and some form of record clamp needed. And the poor motor would have been resting on the plinth without the spring loaded suspension.

All to prove a spring derived tracking force arm functioned.

I don't think they were trying to prove anything; just to get eyeballs on the exhibit.
Heck, anyone who had watched many jukeboxes of the same general era has seen similarly odd modes of record handling & playing.

 

[Robin L]

Somewhat less tracking error (at least potentially) with a long arm (not to be confused with a big member, per earlier discussion in this thread) -- plus it would be needed for 16 inch transcription discs.
I know lots of audiophiles play those...

y y

I worked for a spell at Ray Avery's Rare Records in Glendale. He collected those transcription discs, featuring big band/swing from the forties. He later transcribed these discs to tape for re-release on his own record label.

 

[jsrtheta]

Anyone who dislikes Chris Connaker can't be all bad.

Yeah, they really can be.

 

[jsrtheta]

...As an aside "MF" is a funny initial ....

And apt!

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

For those wishing to keep up with Fremer's latest writings, he is launching a new website called trackingangle.com. “Our content will focus on affordable gear, with an emphasis on turntables, phono cartridges, and phono preamps, reviews of recorded music, interviews with musicians and audio industry experts, and so much more.”

"Affordable" ???? I guess we'll see about that.

The announcement is here.

 

[deniall83]

In the scheme of hi-fi journalism (is that even a thing?), Fremer was ultimately bottom man on the totem pole. At first I though his brand of shtick it was just 'performance art'-- I mean, who would really do and say the things he did? But even a master such as Andy Kauffman wouldn't have been able to pull off a Fremer, for as long as Mike went at it. So I came to the conclusion that Mr. Analog wasn't a simple shameless shill, but a true believer. That realization certainly made him less interesting to read; without the kayfabe angle there's not much point in working up enthusiasm via suspended disbelief.

But compared to the top tier, he was/is no more than a piker. Tops in my book goes to Enid Lumley. I've mentioned her before. At first I thought Enid was Harry Pearson writing 'tongue in cheek', in order to provide some humor, making light fun of the 'high-end'. Until I realized that Harry had no sense of humor.

But Enid was a champion. A true professional. You can't readily find Enid's stuff on line, but I've tracked down a few random paragraphs of her Absolute Sound material. Thanks for that, Enid, and may your RIP, wherever you wound up after you beamed up.

___________________
I have also noticed many other flying Gremlins in my house and decided to chase them down and stomp on them, in hopes of getting better music from my system. I hope to help you get same from yours too. These damned Gremlins are everywhere...

Virtually everything. If it's not busy radiating an electromagnetic field, it's busy radiating an electrostatic one. Even your drapes, the paint on the walls, paper, your records, the record jackets, the turntable dust cover - all are doing their thing to your stereo—and it's audible. Being aware of these offenders and what they do to your sound is the first step toward controlling them.

The sonic effects the Gremlins have are unpredictable, and so I cannot describe to you a set of individual symptoms to listen for in hunting down each one. One thing that is a constant: the degradation of true transparency, that is, images of instruments and voices that are palpable in a palpable space containing the air of the hall. The feeling that you are there.

We've just gotten started. How about all those metal objects in the house, for example, the sinks, the faucets, the fridge and stove, the metal frame in your listening chair, the metal fencing in the ASC Tube Traps so popular with most of us... From personal experience, all of these things degrade the sound.

Your main components themselves are potent sources of radiated fields, both electrostatic and electromagnetic...​

For your own ears, turn on a CD machine whilst playing your analogue records on the turntable and hear the junk put into your music. The CD player is not even hooked into the system. It's just sitting there, playing a CD. If you want to hear something really grotesque, try playing a string quartet or massed violins on your analogue turntable while the CD is operating.

You may decide to remove components not in use rather than just unplugging them. Listen to your big stereo as you remove that unused component from the room entirely.

Do not try shielding these sources of interference by using metal of any kind, as you will see why it is wrong to do so in the next issue.

This person was clearly not right in the head..

 

[Newman]

"Affordable" ???? I guess we'll see about that.

That was my first thought too, when I first saw it.

 

[jsrtheta]

That would be fun. Sort of like, oh I don't know, puttin' Elon Musk on the board at Berkshire Hathaway.

Or any reputable university.

 

[jsrtheta]

(JA) I’ve seen him interviewed. Never met him. Can’t help thinking he set the stage for a site like this to measure gear in an objective way. He rarely offered opinion but he had a few, “not sure why they liked this so much but here’s how it measures…” in his comments. He seems like a great guy and is welcome in my house until he tells me my gear sucks after a couple scotch whiskys

I don't know if I'd personally like JA or not. But Aczel openly trusted his measurements, so there's that.

 

[Balle Clorin]

I like Vinyl for the technical challenges and the opportunity to tinker and optimize, it is a hobby, how good can I get it?. Vinyl is like a wooden row boat : lot of work, poor performance but beautiful and fun.

Fremer has some good an interesting Youtube videos for Hifishows and really good visits to manufacturers, Rega and HifiFiction in particular
From him I also learned about vinylsetup tricks that was useful. To bad he too seldom published the speed data from Shaknspin
https://shaknspin.wordpress.com/, The platter speed record he used has too much wow to be useful.
Maybe the new analog team at Stereophile and Analog Planet can now include objective vinyl data on a more regular basis` like JA does? @Kal Rubinson , do you hear me?


This is probably misplaced but anyway, plenty of reason to play CD instead,,. It has been quite amusing seeing poor measuring turntable been praised in the same reveiew for rock solid pitch stability.... It is now the time and an opportunity for Stereophile to step up the objective side of turntable reviews. I hope you read this Kalman Rubinson

The objective measurements are the reason I have subscribed to Stereophile for 20+ years.
But for Vinyl I had to make my own,, like this. based on Shaknspin "Gyrometer" I plot my own parameter 6Hz low pass speed variation in practice it is very similar to the peak wow and 2s wow that W&F meters gives, and the 6Hz lowpass filtering gives an good visual impression of the speed variations( and easy to to in Excel)

Performance vs price

How different speed parameters correlate, can you guess why WRMS and DIN is popular with manufacturers?

How speed variations look like and differ, Many belt drives ,some direct drives

and finallly the two best from the same producer using a different drive mechanism

Is vinyl a good format, NO, is it an interesting and enjoyable format, YES for me it is, also because my turntable is quite good and very nice looking and was not expensive.
when I bought it. It is the plot in the first top left.

 

[DavidEdwinAston]

I have to add to this thread, solely on the basis that I won't get one of his astonishingly vile blasts in response to any critique.
I must thank him for one thing. Comments on the £400000 turntable review, included one pointing out other websites, specifically ASR.
Praise the Lord.

 

[DSJR]

Somewhat less tracking error (at least potentially) with a long arm (not to be confused with a big member, per earlier discussion in this thread) -- plus it would be needed for 16 inch transcription discs.
I know lots of audiophiles play those...

Not to serve as a DUAL apologist (I never liked their automatic changers -- way too complicated) but, in fairness, based on the text from the 1019 manual that I scanned, they are touting the low friction in the arm pivots in terms of playing off-center records, not the fact that they use a dynamically-balanced arm (which is at least relatively immune to nasty old Mr. Gravity).

The playing sideways (or even upside-down) stuff is attributable to using a spring to set tracking force.


Not a DUAL, but rather a Rek-O-Kut Empire record player in the photo above, with their dynamically balanced arm doin' tricks for the humans.

By the way -- I am sure that all y'all knew this already , but DUAL (made by Gebrüder Steidinger (Steidinger Brothers) adopted the name "Dual" in reference to the dual-mode motors they developed. To quote DUAL themselves: "The power supplies allowed gramophones to be powered from mains electricity or with a wind-up mechanism."

History – DUAL

hifi.dual.de

What you talking about, Dual auto's being too complicated? They're a bloody doddle to work on if your fingers are nimble

Try working on a seized up Garrard Zero 100 (an interesting conversation piece even if you don't believe it could possibly be any good as a record playing device, being an auto deck and all with pivoted headshell) and others with that basic chassis, or far far worse, a (kind of Dual related in the family) PE deck, which was incredibly complicated and with each fine adjustment interlinked with several others - get one bit wrong and the whole thing doesn't work right.

I love me Duals and have a small collection (oh dear) - 1009SK2, 1019, beefed up 1214, 601, 701

 

[mhardy6647]

What you talking about, Dual auto's being too complicated? They're a bloody doddle to work on if your fingers are nimble

Try working on a seized up Garrard Zero 100 (an interesting conversation piece even if you don't believe it could possibly be any good as a record playing device, being an auto deck and all with pivoted headshell) and others with that basic chassis, or far far worse, a (kind of Dual related in the family) PE deck, which was incredibly complicated and with each fine adjustment interlinked with several others - get one bit wrong and the whole thing doesn't work right.

I love me Duals and have a small collection (oh dear) - 1009SK2, 1019, beefed up 1214, 601, 701

Oh, I had a Garrard Zero 100 something-or-other (maybe a "B", I'd have to go back and look).
Not for very long.

The Garrards were, absolutely, worse (than the DUALs). Absolutely.
The "zero tracking error" Garrards were probably the worstest of allest (to channel Dr. Seuss).

Actually, among other Garrards that visited our house but wore out there welcomes quickly:
LAB-95
990 (EDIT: 990B)
LAB-80 (two of those).

I wanted to like the LAB-80s. I really did. Pretty substantial. Businesslike. Afromosia wood in the tonearm.
But... uggggh.
I think Garrard must've subcontracted them to Lucas and or British Leyland.


Here's the 990B (the only photo I have handy at this late date)

 

[mhardy6647]

I like Vinyl for the technical challenges and the opportunity to tinker and optimize, it is a hobby, how good can I get it?. Vinyl is like a wooden row boat : lot of work, poor performance but beautiful and fun.

Fremer has some good an interesting Youtube videos for Hifishows and really good visits to manufacturers, Rega and HifiFiction in particular
From him I also learned about vinylsetup tricks that was useful. To bad he too seldom published the speed data from Shaknspin
https://shaknspin.wordpress.com/, The platter speed record he used has too much wow to be useful.
Maybe the new analog team at Stereophile and Analog Planet can now include objective vinyl data on a more regular basis` like JA does? @Kal Rubinson , do you hear me?
...
View attachment 213409

This may be the best meta-analysis of data I've seen to date in the context of hifi.
So far.

It'd be nice to roll s/n in, too... but I don't want to be too demanding.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Maybe the new analog team at Stereophile and Analog Planet can now include objective vinyl data on a more regular basis` like JA does? @Kal Rubinson , do you hear me?


This is probably misplaced but anyway, plenty of reason to play CD instead,,. It has been quite amusing seeing poor measuring turntable been praised in the same reveiew for rock solid pitch stability.... It is now the time and an opportunity for Stereophile to step up the objective side of turntable reviews. I hope you read this Kalman Rubinson

You called? Yes, I read this but your efforts would be more effective if you addressed them to Jim Austin and/or John Atkinson. I am not in the line of command.
I am on the record about wanting bench measurements for all reviewed products.