Michael Fremer has built his reputation into a household name in the realm of HiFi. He has been reviewing turntables for more years than many of his fans have even been alive. Michael sits down with us in this week’s episode of The Occasional Podcast to discuss his legacy and what the newest chapter of his ever-growing legacy will be.
He has recently rejoined the gang at The Absolute Sound with a partnership in conjunction with the launch of a new site and YouTube channel under the banner of TrackingAngle. In addition to discussing some of his audiophile resume and newest endeavors, Mr. Fremer revisits his time as a Hollywood writer, radio DJ and even a standup comedian.
The Occasional Podcast is rounding the corner into Season 7 with our interview with Michael Fremer and High End 2022 Highlights, Focal Naim And Bes Nievera and last month’s announcement with Andrew Jones, but you can also check out last season’s Anatomy Of An Amplifier and earlier episodes like A Beginners Guide To Wireless HiFi, How Records Are Made plus A Guide To Tube Amplifiers and our season 6 opener What Is Accuracy and Why Audiophiles Love Jazz? but don’t miss last season’s finale TOP’s Best Of Season 5 Awards Plus A Visit to Van Halen’s 5150 Studios or our revisited interview with the late legendary recording engineer Al Schmitt. Also available for download is last season’s interviews with Heinz Lichtenegger, president of Pro-Ject. You can also check out Budgeting – From Entry Level To High End, Getting Started With Vinyl Playback, The Occasional Beginner’s Guide To Digital Audio. Season three had interviews with such audio legends as Jeff Joseph, Bill Dudleston, Nelson Pass and even Rob Watts.
If you would like more from PTA staff writer and engineer Dave McNair, you can hear also him exploring all things Mastering and explaining The Loudness Wars, and if you haven’t checked out our beginners guide to reel-to-reel playback, it’s definitely worth a listen.
You can stream the newest episode about Michael Fremer direct from the embed below or subscribe to The Occasional Podcast on your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.
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Michael: “. . . your brain can fill in the blanks and make you think you’re there. . . ”
Brian: “. . . now, whatever that sound’s to you is up to your perception, but I think that attention to detail is the key to unlocking the why. . . ”
That is, “why” an analog recording can sound better than a digital recording. Or versa-vice. It appears Brian and Michael are saying the same thing with respect to the role of perception. And then there are the variables that have an effect upon perception: medications (prescribed or otherwise), imprints/associations, education/experience (from music to meditation), and myriad other nature/nurture possibilities. Yes, the details applied to the mechanics of the recording matter too, whether they be slice and dice digital, direct to disc electromechanical, or the electromagnetic continuum of tape. And both Brian and Michael note the following: good and bad recordings have been made in both formats. Not to minimize the “why” element, but maybe its importance lies more with “how” we can make the best recordings within the available methods. The fighting over best (absolute) sound may be better left to dogmatists. (Hence, “The Relative Sound” could serve as an alternative, possibly more “accurate” name for a HiFi magazine.) Note: the preceding parenthetical statement is an attempt at humor.
While the experience may change down the road, at this point in time I find myself more drawn to listening to analog–which includes some pressings that were originally recorded digitally (whoda’ thunk?). And as perception would have it, there’ll be a few more distracting Buddhas along the way. Congratulation on your new “home,” Michael. May enthusiasm and chutzpah serve you and others for decades to come!
Who is this guy, rambling on and on?