My cables are better than your cables. I don't even need to be in the same room as my cables to hear how much better they are. My cables haven't even got plugs on them to spoil the purity of their awesome sound - thats how superior my cables are - in fact my cables haven't even been unrolled off their real because doing that would make them sound awful.
@@jn3750 Sure! I don't know if he pays with a mortgage on his own home or if he has received an enormous heritage from a parental. In the first case, most probably he'll be paying for the rest of his life, wich I desire long and happy.
Some people buy yachts. This is just gentle madness but madness nonetheless. The reproduction gear is more sophisticated than the recording gear. It's nonsense. I used to own that level of equipment (Wilsons, Spectral, you name it); spent as much on audio as people spend on a house. Not anymore. It sounded great, no doubt, but it shifted my attention from the music to the sound. I've rediscovered the emotion of music by going back to cheap but clean gear. I own Schiit Audio and KEF LS-50 and I've got the goose bumps I had as a teenager. My kit costs less than one of my cables used to cost and I feel both happy about it and less of a manic fool.
Good on ya. Folks fail to realize how our senses are actually strongly about the mental processing which can magically accommodate road noise, garbage AM through cardboard speakers and make us "hear" the music. The realists who can establish clear double-blind tests repeatedly demonstrate the inability for many to even hear close to 20,000 Hz. I actually suspect the M cable industry was a bait-and-switch scheme, as I did find sonic differences between their less expensive cables - but the better sound was an even cheaper Radio Shack pair! It's a lot of insecurity displayed by rich posers, peacocking to impress others like them.
I could NOT get rid of all my marvels, instead I, like you, listen music with high musicality, low value, to keep up and working the real stuff that matters to me, some pretty vintage gear, by age not use that's it. I can enjoy listening to cheap gear while owning hi-fi marvels. Among audiophiles, nothing should surprise us no matter what bizarre story could be.
The story of the stroke victim man that was aware that his collection was being sold for a $1 / record but could not speak left me heartbroken. Probably the biggest lesson I took from this tour... I shall teach my wife about all my precious items, even if she doesn't understand.
It pisses me off that he didn't tell the stroke victim's wife about the records' value, even after he had bought them. I think that's a shitty thing to do, especially when that stroke victim is right there, losing his mind but unable to say anything about it. His life's collection getting sold for nothing.
As much as I respect Alan Parson as a producer and musician (I own quite a few of his recordings), he was wrong when he said that, and he is still wrong. This is a false stereotype of audiophiles that may apply to a small minority. But not the majority. I am an unabashed audiophile, but the music comes first. It was my deep love of music, that get me to want to hear it as accurately as possible. And this love of music is what got me into this hobby. The only time most people run into audiophiles, is on audiophile forums, audio shows, audio stores, etc. So, what is the most likely subject they will be talking about? Audio gear.
@@pandstar most audiophiles know nothing about music, only how to one up each other with the latest & greatest "lirpa" gear. avoid audiophiles, & used/audiophile record stores like the plague.a bunch of socially retarded dweebs!
As a sound engineer the two most significant differences to sound reproduction is: 1. Room acoustics and 2. Room acoustics. Certainly not the mains power cables! - If you're that bothered, how about an external triple filtered DC mains supply instead? One thing I do notice about all deluded audio snobs is that they love telling anyone within earshot the price/cost.... I'm convinced that this level of gear is firmly about bragging rights than it is about raw sound quality.
Indeed, room acoustics, then how is his gear connected - RCA or balanced plugs? Those amps fully differentiated ones? I doubt it! So what about the source of the signal? Do he have 96/24 (96k 24 bit) or at least the new standard format 48k/24? ...No, wait a sec, he play music on a vinyl disk where the music come pre-compressed, eq'd and then had to be sent trough quite dramatic EQ to sound normal the RIAA correction + scratch and pops. Have he got rectifier tubes in each box to get the internal electronics to work smoothly, instead of the pulsed DC which solid state creates? Doubt it. Working with sound, recording tech also radio plus an on and off career as musician have made me luv tubes. But I am not an orthodox believer, there's solid state gear that sound fantastic at a bargain price - example Teac AX-501 your fav album played on a low priced but musical CD player NAD 5425 - yes balanced XLR and a pair of Elac speakers.
@@doctiberius2717 Same here, I have been playing since the age of 6. Working on an album right now that I will be happy if it sell 200 copies or dowloads of - havn't done any music for nearly 2 decades so I am quite certain I'm mainly forgotten by now and going growl metal is not exactly the recipe for finding a new audience - but I have fun and find a satisfaction meanwhile. ;) But yes, it were in the studio I learned that stuff that higher bitrates sound better, and that tube amps for instruments did sound sooo great, even better when they had a rectifier tube for the power as well - no clicks or hiss either. So that was what led me to get stereo stuff that are made the same way for home.
Came here to say the same. The messes that I have had to make in mechanical rooms, goodness. Hot water tanks can and do burst on occasion, terrifies me to think of the damage on that.
musician shows up at recording studio with $5 road/gig beaten instrument cables and any random power cord for the amp to make the recording. Audiophiles decide they need $50k of cables in order to reproduce this sound.
@@60zeller The most valued amplifiers are usually Fenders from the 1960's and same for the Gibson and Fender guitars. This guy is nus plus Mccartney stuff in his latter years is pretty bad.
Actually musicians do pay attention to cables. And power cords. At least the ones that care about their sound. They also pay attention to tubes, and tube brands. I guess you haven't been to too many recording sessions. Sure, some don't care. Some audio enthusiasts don't either.
Why don't you talk about the wiring in the wall going back to your fuse panel or circuit breakers and then out to the telephone pole and then the miles and miles of wiring going back to the power plant. And then there's the argument about the audible differences between Siemens, General Electric and Westinghouse power plants. And coal versus gas versus hydro versus nuclear. $1000 6 foot long power cables are a joke!
Charles Clements you are clueless. You think that clown’s comment was a “revelation”? But enjoy your ignorance. You know what else? The pipes that bring water into my home are old and some are probably corroded SO WHY BOTHER PUTTING A WATER FILTER ON THE END OF THE FAUCET?
Analog Planet first off what do pipes have to do with this? The point of the comment was to prove that all the big, stupid, and expensive cables are a joke and a waste of money. How are cables going to make any difference if the power in your house isn’t as “high-end” as the expensive and stupid cables that you use as connections between your stuff? how would it make any audible difference? The point of the guys comment was to joke about that fact, his point was if your going to spend $30,000 on a cable between a turn table and a preamp then why don’t you make the wiring to your house “high-end” as well? Not having everything be “high-end” defeats the purpose of spending crazy money on cables in the first place. And you you call me ignorant? Ha, you clearly have no idea what you are taking about. Next time why don’t you actually do research instead of just saying “but my pipes are old and that justifies my expensive cables” I don’t know if you have heard this but water and electricity are quite different. Who is ignorant now?? you are just another rich idiot that will buy anything no matter the cost. Next time think before you type another angry comment. If you are so smart and know so much then explain how it works, I’ve explained why it’s total bullshit if you think I’m wrong then prove me wrong.
@@charlesclements9672 awww did you get offended and are mad because he enjoys the stuff he talks about and yes better cables do help to a point that you really can hear the upgrade your the dumbass that don't hace a clue about high end systems
bronson osborne I’m actually not offended at all, this is fun to me. How many morons can I get to make angry comments? A lot apparently. Btw that was an excellent run on sentence, what grade are you in?? If you are such an amazing intellectual Why don’t you read my whole comment and explain how a cable can make a audible difference? Or at least try to prove me wrong. But nope you didn’t do that, all you did was make an angry comment like all the other morons do when I call out the bullshit. And you call me a dumbass? Look in the mirror, you clearly don’t know a damn thing. Next time come at me with an argument. not a pathetic, and whiney comment taking sides with with another rich idiot who knows nothing.
I’m sure you probably never look at comments from some of your old videos but just want to say how much I enjoyed this. I’m from England and you made it so interesting, amusing and matter of fact with great stories about your collection. It’s your money to spend and knowing the pleasure you can get listening to great music and artists I just appreciate what you have. Thank you and now I’m subscribed will keep watching you.
Like you, I can tell a huge difference in sound quality when I have a fully functional water heater in my listening room. It definitely creates a warm, fluid sound doesn’t it! At what temperature do you have yours set? Everything makes a difference indeed.
@@Zaes223 yeah man didn't say they explode ...... the other guy did....... I was just meaning that they can bust open a bit and flood out your basement.... if had that happen..... it builds up all that calcium deposits in there also..... I would be nervous if it was me though...... thats some serious money....... or just one of the pipes breaking would be really bad.......
You nailed it about having records. The memories are incredible. You remember when you bought them....where you were...what you were doing. It's incredible. Younger people don't know what they are missing. I'm 61...have tons of records that I've bought since the 60's.....Most of them are mint! I thank God I took good care of them and kept them. Also I have tons of CD's. Now people have been convinced those are out. This is a great time to buy CD's for cheap. Get a good CD player with a DAC!
..I am 67 years old.... ..Now i know there is someone who thinks like me .... About records and the music of our times.... ...... thank you....for sharing......
If you guys don't believe that everything makes a diference it's okay but doesn't mean that you are right ! From what i experienced the smallest change can make a diference.
You didn't listen to what I said. Yes, I don't own the cables. but I own everything else. Your truly have normalized ignorance. @
5 лет назад
@@AnalogPlanet You just confirmed what I said already. Are your extreme prescription spectacles dirty? LOL 😂 I'll make it clear ..slow it down to 18rpm HE IS GIVEN ALL THIS CRAP (so of course you own it bright eyes) Giving you some credit , you're not censoring my comments. And yeah < that's the most often used argument from people in youtube land , an ad hominem attack on my user name (which you miss the subtle humor ?). I thought you guys were keen on wordplay and humour.. Woody Allen was. Bob Dylan too or whoever wrote his songs. Are you really from Wack-Off N.J.?? Jokes man , Jokes.
Michael, you made your love of music and musical reproduction your life. you may never, know how you have helped countless numbers of people like myself build audio systems that let us experience music in ways we never dreamed of. I was a musician my entire life and to sit in my home and to transcend my human condition, is in a large part because of you. I still remember the day I heard a music system so good I actually cried. The gentleman sitting sitting next to me said "you got it man", Can we switch seats?
Too cluttered for me.... I find I enjoy my system much more when its in a nice clean uncluttered space. The sense of peace that comes from a nice minimal listening environment really adds to the music IMHO. That much clutter just causes an unease and a lack of relaxation. Doesn't matter how good it sounds, I couldn't enjoy it.
Yeah agree. Personally I've never come across a better way to set up speakers than the Rational Speaker Placement method. Bass note, Toe in and Rake angle. Takes a while to set up but once done it sounds incredible forever. 👍
Thank you Michael for invite us to your home and share your sympathy, passion and knowledge. Maybe somebody misunderstood the way you do. Fortunately, in our little world there are some people looking for the excellence, and investing a lot of time and effort to achieve the state of the art. That’s why we can enjoy and value brands like Wilson Audio, Audio Research, Air Tight, Brinkmann, Koetsu... or A. Lange & Söhne, even if they are not affordable for most of us. Thank you again.
S Gals Man you are a piece of work! You must have a miserable life! I’ve met people like you that are so miserable that they want everyone around them to be miserable too! And I would kiss Mr. Fremer’s rear end for what reason? That doesn’t even make sense. I looked at the RU-vid video about whether a guitarist needs to know how to read music because I was curious as to their opinion and how they supported said opinion. No matter what you think of my “playlist” (and I don’t really care what your opinion is), your remarks to Mr. Fremer and myself are very hateful. Thus you are only reinforcing the image that you are “full of hate”. Why such anger over Mr. Fremer’s opinions? His RU-vid video is free. It’s not part of a paid subscription to Stereophile magazine online. It costs you nothing! So it’s not as if you’re being cheated out of your hard earned money. Furthermore no one is forcing you at gunpoint to watch it. If you disagree with his opinions, that’s fine. But why the personal attacks? Against him and me? A question for you as well...the same as before, because you didn’t answer it the first time. It was rhetorical the first time I asked, but now I ask in earnest...is your life that miserable? Is that why you are so hateful? You can insult me further if you wish, that seems to give you pleasure. I won’t respond to any more insults. You may regard my next statement as sarcasm,but please believe me, it is not. I’m truly sincere. I will pray for you. You seem genuinely unhappy and I’m sorry if that is true.
And here I am. Happy with my Onkyo TX8220 receiver, Polk T15 speakers, Yamaha SW012 sub, and Fluance RT83 turntable. Cables? Most of them came from my previous systems 😂
Thanks for sharing. Don't know if anyone else mentioned it but I find it remarkable that you keep possibly over a million dollars worth of audio gear and media within feet of your water tank...a large destructive vessel destined to fail unexpectedly. I wouldn't even want a plumber proactively swapping it out in such proximity of all that stuff. You even pointed it out!
It’s not really a water tank in the traditional sense. It doesn’t heat water, or have the usual plumbing. It is a passive hot water storage tank and so pretty impervious to leaking. A unit on the wall produces the hot water stored in the tank
Listening to one record and making mental notes of the sound, then going off to do some work while someone changes out cables and then coming back to compare simply does not work. You MUST employ direct switching (A/B tests) to get anything out of it otherwise it becomes purely anecdotal and just guesswork really. It's hard enough to hear subtle differences between cables when performing A/B-test, trying to compare with long breaks in between is impossible.
They must be double blind as well. For speakers at least, it’s been proven that when doing sighted and blind, people will rank a nicer looking speaker higher during sighted tests. So, if doing sighted A/B switching between a super skinny normal speaker wire compared to those “hoses”, I’d say most people will say the hoses look better, because they think it must.
Keith O. Johnson, one of the founding partners of Reference Recordings said you can't A/B music listening. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bBR3kS4e_wk.htmlm
I love this guy for one reason, he's always true to what he believes in whatever it's right or wrong and he has a sense of humor. Although I won't ever own these type of equipment and not a fan of modern stuff I like to see where the technology is going.
This guy is enclosed in a breeze of good and healthy fun. I really like his audio system. Everything seems to works nicely together and is a wonderful looking setup for a trough music admirer.
Say about him and his hobby whatever you want, I have to admit i watched this Video like three times because he is just that entertaining. (points at boiler) "this is my subwoofer"
YAAAAAY !!! I'm the umpteenth watcher of this video and I win a complete duplicate of every piece of gear on loan and owned by Mr. Fremer. YAAAAAY!!! Now I can finally hear the voila part in Mahler's 9th.
I am a skeptical audiophile. I have a pretty nice system but nothing like the expensive gear you have. I think a lot of what is written about is either imaginary or not discernible by most listeners. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour of your system and now think I would love to hear it. After listening to you talk about it, I am leaning towards not discernable by most listeners. Perhaps cables and well made amps sound different to people that have spend a lifetime reviewing for a living and have trained themselves to do so. Some professional audio reviewers don't hear differences that others do. It would seem probable that hearing acuity differs between people just like any other physical or mental skill. The real question is not whether Mr. Fremer or Mr. Atkinson can hear a difference, it is whether the prospective buyer can hear a difference and, if so, is it a quality difference worth paying for. I admire the fact the Mr. Fremer "puts his money where his mouth is" and purchases the gear he really falls in love with. It is much more difficult for me to take seriously the rave reviews of megadollar gear that is on indefinite loan to a reviewer. What is silly expensive varies from person to person. I have close to $10K in my system including two channel gear, surround speakers and a HT receiver. Almost everyone I know thinks that is an insane amount. None of them, having listened to it, think it sounds just like their BT speaker or name brand one box solution they have at home. The bad news today is that the ultra high end equipment is completely unaffordable to most people. Some of it is expensive only because there are people that will buy it. Other stuff (like Mr Fremer's speakers and turntables) are expensive to build. The good news about audio today is the inexpensive gear has never sounded better. Great sounding audio gear is available to anyone with an interest in it. Buy what you like within your budget and have fun. I do wish the Stereophile would attempt measuring interconnects and speaker cables. Perhaps they have and found no differences so they quit. I suspect that some of the differences are not improvements in fidelity but subtle filtering effects that cable designers put in on purpose because it will make them sound different.
I've heard music that is absolutely amazing, breathtaking, playing through $1,000 speakers, a $1,200 amp, 14 gauge speaker wire, an $800 turntable or a laptop, and basic RCA cables. I doubt the same source would sound "Remarkably better" just by adding that $30,000 speaker wire. And Fremer already had a monster of a system before he added the $30,000 speaker wire, and said the speaker wire made a massive difference. How is that possible? The system was already fairly maxed out for playing everything recorded music has to offer. The improvement has to be a tiny percentage increase in quality over his system with $1,000 speaker wires. If he rated his complete system a 95 on a scale of 1 (unlistenable) to 100 (ultimate sound reproduction, virtually similar to live music) before upgrading the speaker wire, then there wasn't much more improvement possible. But he said the difference was incredible. It doesn't calculate. I also question upgrading an already very good system (like one with $3,500 DefTech speakers, a $2,500 turntable on a granite base, and top end $10,000 McIntosh amp) with $68,000 speakers, $1,000 RCA cables, a $30,000 turntable with a $30,000 arm, a $10,000 pre-amp, etc. There is always a level of diminishing returns. For example, to see a 10% gain in quality over the best $1,000 system, you may have to spend $2,000. To improve the $2,000 system by 5%, you may have to spend $4,000. And so on. Eventually, you may spend $50,000 to get to 92% of the quality of the live performance in the studio (as recorded on the master tapes). To get to 95%, you have to upgrade to a $100,000 system, and to get to 97%, you have to upgrade to a $200,000 system. I guess it's the same for cars. The stock Corvette ZR-1 is amazing. It goes 0-60 in 2.85 seconds with a top speed of 212 mph. No amount of component upgrades is going to lower the 0-60 time by more than 10%, nor increase the top end mph by more than 10%, even though you could spend $150,000 to do so if you have the money. Is it worth it? Maybe to a very small percentage of enthusiasts who have the money to spend on their passion. To most people, amazing performance at a reasonable price is absolutely fine. Give me a beast of a $1,200 Marantz amp with some astounding $3,000 Definitive Technology speakers, and I don't think upgrading to a $5,000 amp and $10,000 speakers will make a huge difference. Most people may not even be able to hear the difference. I prefer to play lossless high dynamic range digital files (lossless WAV) over vinyl, as vinyl inevitably has its crackles, pops, and other noise that comes from dust, scratches, and normal wear from the needle. I can't stand the scratchy sounds many vinyl records have, even after a thorough cleaning. Lossless digital files cannot be scratched, worn, or abused like vinyl. Just my opinion.
With cars the statistics of top speed/acceleration/etc. is the main gauge, whereas with audio it's all in the listening experience. There's a cryptic aspect to it that you can't judge its value by just looking at the stats, you have to experience it. We can't really measure the audible differences in certain cables, but as a personal anecdote I can say that they are there. Now, incredible difference? No, I've never heard that, but I think unless you were able to sit there and listen to his system yourself, you can't really judge it one way or the other.
You have committed a substantial error in attempting to quantify that which is outside the boundaries of assigning a numeric value. I can assure you that replacing the power cord supplied by the manufacturer with a better cable will be an upgrade that anybody that has critical listening ability will notice. Is it 10% or 5%, that question has no moment, it is simply an audible improvement. I wouldn't expect that someone with a digital preference could so easily be confused by numbers. More to the point, here is an example of how your logic fails. Can you imagine an F-1 driver or a test driver for Bugatti pulling into the pits and having a discussion with the crew or technicians, the amount of data he can provide will be astounding relating to engine performance, shifting, braking, aerodynamic changes, traction, etc. Compare that knowledge to the average driver- she's driving a Buick Century. As long as it starts when she turns the key and stops when she applies the brakes, her car is running fine! She has virtually no knowledge of the cars inner workings and that is the way it should be, it may have significant problems with the engine or electronics, she will never know. You, my friend, are driving a Buick Century and you're trying to tell a test driver of a Bugatti how to drive!
Nice system Michael. My system does not hold a candle to yours it consist of Soundlab A3PXs Classic valve design Borealis 300b pre amp with western electric 300 b tubes Joule Electra Grand Marquis 160 OTL mono blocks REL B3 sub and Io phono stage with a modified VPI Scout and Koetsu rosewood cartridge. I also ran dedicated 25 amp outlets in my rec room. It gives me goosebumps. I listen for hours and hours my friends think I am nuts to have spent so much they seem to stick around to long when I fire it up. It is all relative in scale we both share a passion that a lot of people can not or choose not to appreciate. Love your work and your personality. The knowledge you have imparted to many is appreciated continued success good health and happiness. E. Simpson from Canada. PS I also use a bat VK-D5SE. I know a Cd player but it sounds analog to my ears plenty of tubes in that sucker lol. And yes high quality power cords do make a difference.
Better to say that YOU can't understand why someone would have over $1,000,000 of audio equipment, but then you've never heard his system. Calling anything insane that you do not understand only speaks to your limitations.
Larry Daniels It’s funny you say that when you don’t know me. The fact that you fail to ask why I perceive it the way I do, and immediately rush to insults just goes to show that you’re incapable of grasping where I am coming from. Hence why I didn’t bother to tell you to begin with.
He is an audiophile/repairman/junk collector. On his beautiful Dartzeel 458s he has books, knick knacks, and even a screwdriver laying down on one of them. Go to the 2:30 minute mark and pause. Wall to wall records, with Wilson Alexx speakers that are so close that he takes "nearfield" to new highs...or lows. His chair sucks but his speakers and amps are heavenly. Michael F. is an intelligent man with tremendous knowledge about the industry but somewhere fell through the cracks in life.
Looking at Michael's collection of vinyl, I don't see how he can listen to or even find an album or track without some form of cataloging and even having the time to do so and continue to add to his library. His library and hardware are off the charts impressive. I resubscribed to Stereophile to catch up on what the industry has evolved to over the past couple decades. I see it has spiraled out control of my budget (Ha!) and reality. When my subscription lapses, I won't be resubscribing since I don't live on that plane of life anymore.
You have some amazing gear, and probably the ultimate audiophile man cave, the search for audio nirvana is obviously not for everyone, but I admire your enthusiasm.
As a proponent of "budget" hifi I have a nad c356bee, a pro-ject debut and a pair of quad 12L's....makes a great sound in my small living room. Especially when I crank up the volume and the bass with those ever so nice tone controls .....got to say that the point you make about knowing when and where you bought an album is so important. Our musical tastes tend to change over the years and the records you buy are like a history of who you were. Today you can access almost any album you want to over Spotify, Deezer et al and to be honest the sound quality is pretty good. But people realize that a collection of "Favs" can never replace a real record collection. Before streaming people collected CDs (people still do) but now it makes more sense to collect vinyl again. Why ? because now you can have the best of both worlds - the full experience (art work etc) and ceremony of vinyl AND the convenience of digital
He knows what he hears... Except in ABX test. ;) First thing to start recovering from "Pravus Audiophilia" is to test ones hearing and learn about confirmation bias. Then to do some ABX testing with stuff one has or even just normal blind tests with a friend or a spouse. Studying some real audio science is very much recommended also :)
I've heard a few high end systems and they really are no joke. This guy's system probably sounds incredibly good. Would it also sound absolutely incredible with less expensive preamps, tonearms, and cables? Absolutely. But some people really want that last few percent. Honestly you could get just the speakers, a set of monoblock amplifiers to drive them that have the requisite power handling, and a good preamp and DAC and your system would sound 95 percent as good. Generally in a modern audio chain with good components, the speakers make the most difference followed by the dac. Anytime you're converting one format of encoded music into another is where you have your losses, so like electrical to mechanical in the case of a speaker or a set of bits to an analogue signal in the case of a DAC.
@@CockatooDude Pretty much like cars. You can have fun in an old Mini (50Mph/90kph) feels like F1 when cornering. Alpine A110 - thumbs up with less than 300BHP. Porsche GT3 with 500BHP, even faster. Or an Aston Martin Valkyrie (100BHP), insane. Pricing are algorithmic. If you can afford the dream, just go for it! I'm pretty sure I would be grinning in a Go-Cart illegally on a B-road!
Olaf Willocx I though the same until I tried some out. Nothing major, but it does help, no I don’t know why. Try a couple out. Fun to experiment. Long as you can return for refund.
Thank you for the video it was amazing looking around your place and seeing what you are working with! Thank you for sharing I am new into the hi-fi Question though what do you think I should set my Pro-ject RS phone box to DECCA or RIAA? I have a RPM 10 using a Sumiko Blackbird.
25:39 Why didn't Fremer help the fellow (disabled) audiophile - explaining to the man's wife what was going on - instead of just joining in on the theft...? As he did for Rick R - see @ 28:00
after some point you get diminishing returns.. what makes the most difference is to take a special marker and color the edges of your cd's.. also, there is a special solution you spray on your cd's and then wipe.. it helps fill in micro-abrasions.. finally, get some stabilizer rings that stick on top of the cd to help keep it spinning smoothly.. less wobbling..
33:38 - spot on! I'm the same with my records, I have so many white labels or one off 12" runs by artists that are just gold! And the sound quality is far warmer than any digital format. Streaming is great for finding stuff or listening on the go, but it doesnt compare to actually owning an artifact in your hand and experiencing the precise moment you stumble across something new that blows you away :D
Does anyone remember the Panasonic R-72 "donut" radio? As a kid I used to ride my homemade wheelie bike with that awesome radio wrapped around my wrist. It was AM band only but my favorite station was KDIA "Lucky 13." That radio is long gone but I still have the first record that I ever bought: "It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World"; B-side: "Is It Yes or Is It No?" by James Brown. Even as kids we all knew that 45 RPM records sounded way better than 33⅓ RPM LPs. My friends had portable record players but in my home we had a Cutis Mathes hi-fi stereo console in the living room. It looked good and sounded great, too!
Saw Bob and Johnny, you made my day. That's it, I'm buying a house and I'm making a room just like yours. I'm sick of being told to keep it down. Freedom!!!
Node -> Smsl su 9-> tube box ds2 -> decware ufo2 x2 -> fore IV (lascala upgrade in time) - hsu vtf2 mk5. Costs about 9k, wondering if I should release a DVD 😶
Michael, thanks for the video. And you are right, you don't have to disclose anything about the money side of your business and hobby. We don't need to know if you own it or not. It isn't anyone's business but your own! Happy listening (and reviewing)!
Though I may not understand a lot of this (yet). I am now a fan. I’ve been collecting records a long time but could never afford a decent way to hear them. I’m now putting together a little system and every piece I’ve changed has made a world of difference. So does that mean power cables will make a difference? Don’t know yet. But maybe. You’re love of vinyl is infectious and all these troll commenters need to find a better hobby than worrying about why someone spends their own money.
Don't listen to the haters. I too didn't think power cords could make any difference, but they actually make a BIG difference no clue why, but use your ears. There's plenty of places you can try for 30 days and see if you can hear an improvement. In my case I hear tighter cleaner bass less hi frequency hash, a much quieter background & improved soundstaging. if the recording has that info.
Seeing your records and audiophile equipment crowding your hot water tank made me cringe! The tank will need to be replaced one day, hopefully not after a leak occurs, when you’re not around...and just thinking about the plumber working in that space, pulling out the old tank and putting in the new one with all that priceless equipment and records in close proximity would give me nightmares. I’m not a doomsday type of person but from experience I just know that if there is a chance that something will get damaged by some goon who has no clue or care about such things. Enjoyed your tour and LP related stories. Agree with you about the importance of meaningful connections to the music. I also hold the same regard.
@B T If anything goes wrong with that water heater, you can be damn sure that Michael would move everything out of that room. My concern was that the tank has to generate heat which could warp all those records that are so nearby.
You should be able to take a storage scope and tap of off the different cables and compare the electrical sign waves of different frequencies and amplitudes to determine if there really is a difference in cables. If there is some other wizards way to determine the integrity of the waveform tell me.
Long time first time (subscriber) I gave you an lp so you could have it signed (at concert featuring a few ITALIAN GUITAR PLAYERS)....@ a ITALIAN restaurant...NORTH JERSEY . Great video as always.
Thanks for showing us around your room (published on my 50th birthday, no less!). I also really appreciate you saying what bits of gear you bought and which are on loan, for I can think of no stronger recommendation than putting one's money where one's mouth is. Industry accommodation or not, hard-earned $$$ are hard-earned $$$, so I applaud your transparency. From a fellow vinylphile, keep fighting the good fight!
What system do you use for your record “shelving” ? They seem well built, easily stackable and even stable stacked. Thank you for the videos. They are an incredible resource.
The same audiophile themes all over the world. At the end is a generational thing. More or less you could see a bunch of old people, trying to recreate their youth and happier times.
That was a trip. People like Fremer are forerunners of what we are eventually going to learn about what's really going on with sonic equipment and sound in general - not just "music." We have a long way to go before we really understand sound and the brain processing sound and the electronic brains too. Electronics are a "nervous system." Nervous systems radiate influence out into the world at large by means about which most of us are clueless.
Envy affects that way. MF has the good luck of having a piece of space where he can do whatever he wants without having to worry about WFA, it remembers WtF 😂. This apparent mess it's not!. I like this messy tidyness, I bet he can find whatever he wants in a moment because he knows where everything is located despite this apparent untidiness. I love Stereophile reviewers. I miss Wes Phillips.
@@salvadorrodenas3071 Do you include John Atkinson, who said that a vinyl sounded better than the very master tape it had been cutted from? Extraordinary statement, indeed!
@@venturarodriguezvallejo9777 particularly John!!! They are like you and me, they have their vision that don't have to met ours, at least in a hundred percent. I've also said things that after a while I've regret .
If you watch without any prejudice, the vast majority of the 37:55 mins of this video is taken up by this guy talking about two things: 1. The value if things he owns, be it gear or records. 2. How cool he himself really is or was.
I'd like to sit and listen to my fave albums in Mr Fremer's listening/sitting room, sit in his chair so to speak (no, literally sit in his chair). I've listened to some very expensive set-ups over the years but none quite as expensive as Michaels set-up. It would be Nice to hear in a proper living space (with stuff hanging around and not in a busy room at a HiFi show with other listeners distracting you, people walking in and out). Of course good dealerships have good listening rooms anyway, but never quite like a real life living room. And I have yet to see everything Michael has in any dealership here in the UK.
It’s OK for Billy Bob to spend 150k on his bass boat and truck, but God forbid anyone spend the same amount on another hobby. But this isn’t his hobby, this is Fremer’s life work.
@@milsdrewbulch huh? Micheal Fremer loves music, he loves records, he loves listening to music, what a life! And he might be wrong about $30,000 cables, but he's not ignorant.
@Abe Froman I don’t see him as coming across as a dick at all! NOONE can say what someone else can or CANNOT hear. Even though it’s true that our hearing diminishes with age. But it MAY be true that everyone’s hearing diminishes at a different rate. I hope he CAN hear all that he says he can hear! And...he really enjoys the equipment and MORE IMPORTANTLY he really enjoys the music! I’m really happy for him! How many people enjoy their jobs that much? I’m retired, but I NEVER enjoyed any job that much, in a constant basis.
Very Impressive equipment and music collection. If you haven't done it already I'd recommend that you catalog, appraise and insure EVERYTHING in your workspace. Then you're covered in case of flooding, fire, etc. and your wife won't have to worry about how much the stuff is worth. Thanks for sharing!
I dunno. I've got a Carver C-1 preamp, an M-500t amp, a Rotel RP-550 (forget the cartridge; just put a new stylus in it, too); a Thorens TD-125 with a Shure V15VxMR, some KLH signal processing, some massive circa '65 Jensen cabs that I replaced failing drivers with Peerless, a 1967 Revox A-77 (immaculate), a Marantz double auto-reverse deck (rack mountable, immaculate, incredible), a hi-end Pioneer 8-track, some other stuff - that's my main system. I listen to Jazz, Rock, Blues, early Country (the real stuff), Soul, Funk, R&B - no rap - Bluegrass, Classical. I also have a nice 78 turntable from Esoteric Sound and get amazing sound from 78s. My system sounds incredible - I've always been suspicious of these extreme tweaked hi-end, high dollar systems/components.