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Reviewer : Michael Fremer

hockman said:
For me, no credible hifi review magazine exists, online or in print.
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I find describing the sound I am hearing almost impossible. The best reviews, using many words and comparisons, used to come up with an approximation of the strengths and weaknesses of a product.
I can't remember the last time I read such a review.
It also helps if you know the type of sound the reviewer likes.
Many moons ago Roy Gregory (then editor) of Hi-Fi + wrote a piece about the requirements of a review. Most of it was common sense and irrefutable, but I disagreed when he said the reviewer shouldn't say if he liked the product.
Nowadays of course they always do, and it's the best thing since sliced bread.
 
For those like me who don't like reading from a screen it's nice to receive something in paper form once a month. It's not too much cash per year, so I'm happy to keep subscribing, and there are always some interesting bits'n'pieces in there, like the music reviews and editorials.
 
Tony L said:
It is surprisingly cheap if you go for three years at a time.
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Perhaps unsustainably cheap. I'm in the U.S and Stereophile's publishers keep sending me offers to convert my multiple year print subscription to digital on multiple devices at no charge.
 
badger748 said:
They are all flawed anyway (especially the UK ones) as the relationship to advertisers proves that no truly bad reviews ever happen.......
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I don't think this is entirely fair. Ask yourself, what would be the point of a 'truly bad review'? If I paid my money for a hifi magazine, and half the reviews said, in effect, 'this is pants, avoid!' I'd feel cheated. I want to read about the good stuff, so I can seek it out. I'm pretty sure Roy Gregory and Alan Sircom are on record, somewhere, as saying that you can infer something if a product doesn't get a review (ie, it wasn't worth the column-inches).

That said, no product is perfect, and reviews need light and shade to reflect the strengths but also show up those areas where the product isn't up to the mark, so prospective punters can decide whether the weaker areas are things that would matter to them. Sometimes, you have to read between the lines a bit. I quite like that - I prefer not to be spoon-fed my opinions.
 
I have been reading Fremer's reviews - mostly the music ones for many years. He had a publication called the Tracking Angle in the late 90's, prior to going web based, which reviewed reissued and new LP releases. Each issue also had a feature; I recall excellent write-ups on the Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Stones and Eno's vocal albums to name a few. He has a deep knowledge and love of music, recording, and LP manufacture, as well as the gear.
He has been collecting since he was a teenager and knew back then to get the original from the country of origin. This helps his reissue reviews to no end as he usually has multiple pressings including originals from which to compare reissues.

He remained an ardent and vocal champion of LP playback during the very dark days in the nineties and noughties and for this deserves real kudos. He must be rightly over the moon at the mediums resurgence.
 
Sue Pertwee-Tyr said:
I don't think this is entirely fair. Ask yourself, what would be the point of a 'truly bad review'? If I paid my money for a hifi magazine, and half the reviews said, in effect, 'this is pants, avoid!' I'd feel cheated. I want to read about the good stuff, so I can seek it out. I'm pretty sure Roy Gregory and Alan Sircom are on record, somewhere, as saying that you can infer something if a product doesn't get a review (ie, it wasn't worth the column-inches).
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TAS used to do it fairly regularly in the early days. Usually pointing out when a brand’s new model fell far short of past glories, which is of great use to the end user as it suggests staying where they are or buying the better item second hand. Audio Research come to mind as one company who’s range and forward trajectory was highlighted as inconsistent. A good audio magazine should be all about the enthusiast/end user IMO, not about giving dealers PR material to shift the new just because it exists. I guess the real difference being that in the early days TAS ran on a ‘purchase price and very few ads’ model whereas all the current mags are dependent on trade ads like a crack addict needs crack. The only one bucking the trend seems to be Hi-Fi Critic. I should really order a copy some time as I’ve never sat down and read one.
 
Thanks for posting. I’ve been enjoying this series of videos.

The part about streaming vs. having your music/memories...while I appreciate the sentiment...is a very “different strokes” thing. I have a few hundred records and they give me anxiety. I’d gladly wake up like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day than to live in a catacomb of records.
 
I found the Fremer video to be mildly entertaining but I am less than convinced about his equipment reviews. Fremer started out years ago primarily as a rock/pop music reviewer for TAS; in fact I don't recall that he ever did any gear reviews in the early days. But it is true that he has been a diehard crusader for analog records all the way thru' vinyl's darkest years and has emerged triumphant in the present time. I just find his tone to be too shrill at times and his view too unrelentingly biased against anything digital so I can't take him very seriously.
 
badger748 said:
They are all flawed anyway (especially the UK ones) as the relationship to advertisers proves that no truly bad reviews ever happen.......
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Ah, this old chestnut again! Are you saying that you would genuinely be interested in a magazine full of "this is rubbish - don't buy it" type reviews? Surely that doesn't help the magazine, the manufacturer or you as a potential buyer, so is somewhat pointless?
 
It helps the potential buyer and it instills credibility in the magazine.

We hear what we want to hear though, and the magazine tells most "enthusiasts" what to hear.
 
Beobloke said:
Ah, this old chestnut again! Are you saying that you would genuinely be interested in a magazine full of "this is rubbish - don't buy it" type reviews? Surely that doesn't help the magazine, the manufacturer or you as a potential buyer, so is somewhat pointless?
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The magazines are not there to help us make informed choices. Their function is to reinforce the hobbyists' general conviction that there are - for example - significant differences between pieces of usb wire or that this month's wonder dac is infinitely better than last month's. Our willingness to believe is the key for their survival. When everyone benefits, who needs truth anyway?
 
Octavian said:
The magazines are not there to help us make informed choices. Their function is to reinforce the hobbyists' general conviction that there are - for example - significant differences between pieces of usb wire or that this month's wonder dac is infinitely better than last month's. Our willingness to believe is the key for their survival. When everyone benefits, who needs truth anyway?
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This is one of the reasons I dropped a lot of magazines like a hot brick years ago, I remember obtaining one of the wonder DACs, a CA DacMagic Asur, it practically made my ears bleed. I've a couple of 20+ year old DACs doing a sterling job, digital cables brought cheap off eBay and the expensive analog ICs and speaker cables I do have, I either got supplied with kit at no extra cost or bought used at a fraction of the new cost. Ive tried out a few "hot products" and found them to be luke warm at best.
 
Interesting arguments both for and against magazine reviews.

I'd just like to add one observation of mine, and that is that products which have garnered accolades from the HiFi press such as 5-stars from WHF or Class A from Stereophile tend to have slightly better resale values in the secondhand market or a perceived to hold their value better.

I know of audiophiles who base their original purchase decision on this, the logic being that if they're going to spend big bucks on something which they might tire of after a while or if they have to sell in a hurry because of a downturn in their finances, it's better to get something that has been glowingly reviewed because there's a higher chance potential buyers would be familiar with it.
 
There is an interesting thread on Fremer in the Steve Hoffman music forum at the moment. He posts on the site occasionally.
 
Michael Fremer strikes me as an opinionated, slightly abrasive character (he's been in some pretty ugly feuds over the years). But he's been relentless in his defence of good audio in general, and analog in particular, and his reviews of the few components I know well have always seemed just about bang on. I'm sure he has his biases (who doesn't?) but he does appear to have a good pair of ears and the knack of expressing his views in a way I can understand.
 
^ Agreed with PsB.

I have been to his house and heard his system. He was a most gracious host; affable, warm, accommodating, and good conversation. We also had some stuff in common in terms of slaving through the film trade.

He's got an ego, sure, who doesn't. And I'd like to venture that it doesn't get in the way of his findings. He's a bit of a character, perhaps a bit overly hammy, but he also puts himself out there and makes his persona part of his work. So criticizing that aspect of him isn't any more meaningful than any other outspoken journalist's faults (Jeremy Clarkson, anyone??).

He has excellent ears. He also has good taste in music. He has a passion for the equipment too.
 
I stopped watching at 1.08, when he said: I'll show you my vintage Stratocaster later, now the really important things, my audio gear.

M.
 
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