Michael Fremer

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Features
The Great Cable "Unmasking"
Michael Fremer  |  May 19, 2020  |  First Published: May 19, 2020  |  56 comments
Well, here we go. More than 125 people have participated in the It’s Just Wire “blind test”, so thank you all. Certainly, we’ve dispelled the ridiculous notion that “wire is wire” and that all wire sounds the same. Which one might prefer is of course a personal preference. That we’d need blind A/B/X testing to “prove” that any sonic differences exist is absurd.

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Album Reviews
The Great Sadness Makes a Great Noise
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 02, 2018  |  1 comments
Indie records arrive more often than you might imagine from musicians giving vinyl a shot at reaching a new audience and possibly providing an additional revenue stream (though as most find out, it’s neither cheap nor easy). Unfortunately, vinyl doesn’t transform lackluster into exceptional music.

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Album Reviews
The Ground Shifts But Spoon Returns to Hard Rock
Michael Fremer  |  Jul 01, 2010  |  0 comments

Spoon’s latest is an introspective affair that trades the group’s usual tuneful exuberance for something more contemplative. But don’t be aFreud! It’s got all of the group’s signature moves, from deep, behind the grooves beats to catchy melodies set against vast empty spaces punctuated by exclamatory soundscapes.

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The Gruvy Awards
The Gruvy Awards
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 29, 2014  |  43 comments
gruvyawards_300.jpgThe Gruvy Awards are chosen by AnalogPlanet's editor, Michael Fremer, and go to products that are found to possess a combination of high build quality, exceptional sonics and in the case of less expensive gear, provide great value for the money.

Vinyl records awarded Gruvys are musically and sonically outstanding and also well mastered and pressed. We've sorted them into two categories: New Records, and Reissued Records.

While a Gruvy indicates a product or record deemed exceptional, products that haven't been so awarded should not necessarily be considered unworthy!

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Cartridge Reviews
The Hana SL MC ($750) Versus The Ortofon Quintet Black S MC ($999)
Michael Fremer  |  Oct 20, 2017  |  First Published: Oct 20, 2017  |  65 comments
Here are two great, "reasonably" priced, superbly built cartridges that I've chosen to review together while giving you the opportunity to "hear" both!

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Album Reviews
The High Llamas' Sweet Harvest
Michael Fremer  |  Jan 01, 2004  |  0 comments

By now Sean O’ Hagan must be tired of music critics writing about him having a Brian Wilson/Pet Sounds fixation (I just did it too), so on the latest High Llamas album O’Hagan de-emphasizes the Wilsonian percussion and electronica in favor of “acoustica.” The sense of floating, of well being, of whimsy that his other albums exude ensues though, and what he’s ended up with here is 21st Century chamber music that resembles Brian Wilson less and Van Dyke Parks more (one of the tunes offers “…a toast to V.D.P.").

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RMAF 2012
The iFi Micro iPhono Fits In The Palm of Your Hand, But!
Michael Fremer  |  Oct 14, 2012  |  3 comments
This little hand held wonder designed by the folks at AMR for their joint venture with i-fi Micro, features MM/MC with up to 66dB of gain on the MC input with claimed 90dB S/N ratio, 8 dip switches each for MC resistance and MM capacitive load settings.
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Record Cleaning Machine Reviews
The In The Groove Record Cleaning Roller
Michael Fremer  |  Nov 18, 2013  |  35 comments
Got pets that shed? You probably have at least one of those pet hair removing rollers with the split replaceable sticky roller. Roll it over your clothing and it picks up the hair. When its covered with hair and/or lost its stickiness, you peel off a layer and throw it way, using the fresh layer underneath to continue hair-removal.
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Album Reviews
The Jamie Saft Quartet's Blue Dream Steps Back in Time Moving Forward
Michael Fremer  |  Aug 30, 2019  |  6 comments
I've referenced this record in a few Stereophile equipment reviews but somehow neglected to give it the deserved full review. The adventurous pianist Jamie Saft steps back in time here to produce an album that on "Vessels", the opening original tune, should immediately remind you of the classic '60s Coltrane quartet, though I'm not suggesting the players are in any way trying to copy Coltrane, Tyner, Garrison and Jones.

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Album Reviews
The John Lennon "Imagine" Box Set On Deluxe Blu-ray (Also Double LP)
Michael Fremer  |  Jan 24, 2019  |  14 comments
Former N.Y.C. Deputy Mayor Edward Morrison's obituary appeared in today's New York Times. Morrison was instrumental in helping John Lennon remain in America at a time when Richard Nixon was trying to deport him. Lennon's anti-war political agitation bugged Nixon. The deportation was going to based on an old pot bust. Morrison intervened and helped Lennon to remain in America by having him declared a "valuable cultural asset to New York City".

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