News

and not the day to day editor of AP ?

Wow, that sucks!!

will catch up with your other ventures. Hopefully the new editor(s) of this site will respect its long history and enthusiastic support for all things analog.

I'm looking forward to the new site. Things like brushes, protective sleeves for covers (Tons on Amazon...some too snug, etc), vibration feet, Isolation stands (Like Butcher Block Acoustics), tweaks for the 1200 series Turntables offered by KAB Electronics, phono cables, headshells, mats, ...plus many more items.

or snarky left-wing (or any kind of) political commentary.

Speaking personally, Michael has provided me with a lot of pleasure, and many laughs, over many years. Primarily my enjoyment came from the left field delivery, the detail, the honesty, the quirkiness, and most important of all his sense of being genuine. I was drawn to how Michael stuck out in an ocean of homogeneous wannabes. Not the end, just a new chapter. Good luck.

As other said before, Mickey is the only reason I come here. Malachi is outstanding making music reviews, but nobody knows more about all analog hardware. Is the Onzow zerodust problem the main reason for the dismiss? Hope to read you soon, Mickey. You are the best friend of all records lovers.

Sorry Mike, whoever you are, but Fremer IS Analog Planet. I agree the content has not been what it used to be mostly because of the horrible content from Lui.

Well, at least The Absolute Sound is getting a good analog writer for a change. Maybe MF can loosen up the tight attitude on that magazine. Stereophile? Gone downhill sine Atkinson left and the death of their best overall writer.

and this site hopefully develops to something useful for a possibly different clientele. I wish Mike Mettler all the best! I just hoped, ML continues to work here (kidding…a little).

What I’d like to see here (or elsewhere)regarding music media is no influencing for the latest releases but critical review from folks who know many originals as well as most of the nameable reissues at least since the 90’s to compare with. I don’t need musical opinions so much, as we all have them ourselves long enough. Independence would be welcome, as nowadays hardly any reviewer who further wants to get those few insanely limited and expensive releases for free, which are hardly catchable for us normals, will do anything than praise them, no matter how good or bad they partly are. But that’s just a dream.

Regarding phono HW reviews, it needs to be comparative with various other references, not just nice text about one product reviewed (as all other reviews are just nice text about every HW reviewed anyway).

Regarding features, results of a deep networking with labels and manufacturers would be welcome.

Fremer can be found at trackingangle.com from late this month.

All of the speculation and hate from the usual suspects is typical.

I have aways enjoyed Mike Mettler's work for Sound & Vision and have corresponded with him about music in general several times. I'm not aware that he has any particular expertise about analog, but he will be backed up by others (so far unknown) and I'm willing to give him a chance.
I will also continue to follow Fremer at his new home. No matter what you think of his work and personality-I like him a lot-he remains the gold standard when it comes to LPs, turntables and cartridges.

...the Mr. Mettler has signed his post NOT as the new editor-in-chief, but as contributing music editor. In the writing biz, "contributing editor" means the person is not on staff, i.e., not a full-time employee.

Make of this what you will. It's not a criticism of Mr. Mettler. What I make of it is that, like so many, many other sites, AP itself (and perhaps the AV Tech network as a whole) is being challenged to do more with less. We certainly see this on sister site Stereophile, where this week we have 5,000 little Axpona squibs from (also contributing editor, not full-time employee) Jason Victor Serinus. (He writes so much of their stuff I now think of him as Jason Victor Stereophile!)

But you know what else I see over at Stereophile? Hardly any comments. In the biz (again), we call this lack of engagement.

When you have no show roundup articles with analysis of what's going on and instead have dozens of articles where each of them mentions the vendors in one room at a show, and the vendor names are in the headline, what one seems to be doing there is keyworking for Google search, probably in a bid to drive page views. But this approach militates against engagement, because there's nothing unique there.

John Atkinson, the nation of audiophiles turns its lonely eyes to you and says: Help!

IMHO the site was getting stale and becoming a bit of a circus. Glad you will be bringing fresh energy and a new perspective.

When I posted the news MF was leaving . Mr LUI deleted my comment. Stripping me of my 1 amendment right . FYI I did not say anything off color. I would like those comments reinstated . It is my personal comments and my property . Will this be the way Analog Planet we be ran ? Cause I told the truth it was on every other site about Fremer’s departure .
Mike will be missed on here .

Gotta love the comment boxes here. It's like a new kind of stupid gets invented every day.

As for content, how about hardware reviews focusing on gear that ordinary people might actually buy? Like stuff in the $1-2K range or less? I'd also like to see lab reports to go with the subjective reviews.

For the record reviews, people visiting this site want as much info as possible about sourcing and mastering. That means if the info isn't obvious by looking at the record, the label's website, etc. then the person writing the review should make inquiries and not shoot from the hip. If the quality of the record is poor, it should be mentioned.

I'd also like to see more label-oriented interviews, mastering engineer interviews, and so on.

Regarding musical content, it would be nice if things diversified beyond typical classic rock and more conservative forms of jazz. To be fair the site did branch out occasionally but not often enough.

If you want to gain readership beyond the 60+ crowd you'll need to try harder in this area. I can tell you I don't care about the latest album from an aging hippie rock star that was past their prime 45+ years ago.

...if we all just thanked Mikey, ML et al for their work up to this point and wish everyone success in the future? That would sure beat the bitch-slapping contest I see here.

Two other points: a website can't take away your first amendment rights. You don't have a constitutional right to post anything you want on someone else's free website. That's like claiming the right to spray graffiti on someone else's wall. Secondly, if divergent political opinions bother you, then crawl back into your cave, close your eyes and wait for 1947 to come back. Some days it seems we're nearly there.

I feel better now.

Well you should sit in courts than. Cause free sites have been sued on this stuff for deleting commente or banning a person. As long as comments arent in very bad taste. It is all good.
It happened on a Civic page and they were brought to court. They had to give a settlement and reinstate the person and comments .But what do I know .
Gotta look up the court index !

Ditto what Chapstick wrote. How about some measurements, of cartridges, phono stages, etc? I know i know, you cant "measure your feeling".." Feel the music!". But the truth is, engineering does matter to performance.

Also second the request for information/interviews from mastering engineers, profiles of what they have in their system and what their sonic priorities are, the source material of a record (AAA or digital etc.).

However I diverge that this site should offer much in the way of music reviews from the perspective of a music reviewer, with actual musical knowledge. See Pitchfork, DownBeat, Alex Ross of the New Yorker, etc. Audio reviewers get way out of their depth when the comment on the quality of a performance or music itself, IMO. This aspect of the hobby is about gear. Everyone has their own opinions about music..

Thanks

Michael Fremer re-introduced me to what music is supposed to sound like; his witticisms separate him from the pack of other reviewers and experts and he was always personable and informative whenever I'd reach out to him directly. This site holds no further interest for me in his absence.

Maybe I haven't been paying attention but this is a shock.
I came here primarily for record reviews that included clear information about the quality of the recording, the pressing and clear lineage and mastering chain information.
I hope that that continues and I will check in. If not then I too am gone.
I will of course follow Michael in his new venture.

See Ruth, 1:16

…I bought the record.

As you know you have a tough act to follow.

Wishing you and the analog planet staff all the best. I'll continue to check out this site.

Cheers.

Sure, you may have drove me a little nuts on occasion, but I'll always be thankful to you for introducing me to the music of Haruomi Hosono. Keep at it.

When I first started reading Stereophile, around 20 years ago, the magazine ran a survey. The results said that readers typically owned stereos that cost about 10% of their annual income, and spent about 3% of that income on equipment each year. The median household income in the U.S. is right around 70k and the 90th percentile is just over 200k. Let's assume that these numbers still hold and that the average audiophile is buying about one piece of kit each year. That's 2k-6k per piece. I love Fremer as a writer, but his primary focus on cost-no-object gear left little room for full evaluations of the type of gear that most of us are looking to purchase.

I think that you guys could carve out a nice market niche by focusing more coverage on the 2k-6k price point with cartridges priced maybe between ($400-$3,000) to match those pieces.

That and more album reviews that appeal to late Gen X and Millennials (say 1980-2010) would be greatly appreciated, and prevent you from competing fully with Fremer's new site.

I always thought MF owned this website? I mean, it has no other content other than his!

It would have been nice to have heard it directly from him in one final article. But perhaps he wasn't given the opportunity... the short (to say the least) send-off to him here perhaps actually speaks volumes...

And the non send-off represents total lack of class.

I can't believe some of the nasty comments I'm reading here. Malachi deserves way more respect than some people are showing him. Whenever I'm busy, which is the vast majority of the time, Malachi is the one covering newer artists. Malachi is especially valuable to the community in this way as he brings younger people into this hobby. I know personally I wouldn't even be writing in this industry if it weren't for Malachi acting as a role model of sorts. Show the guy some respect at bare minimum, though really he deserves our kindness.

I wish Mr. Fremer and Mr. Mettler well, and look forward to seeing what they write going forward. How 'bout hoping for the best for all? (OK, I know that's old-fashioned, but still.)

This is bad news, because in the absolute sound they only review ultra high-end, without specifications, without measurements, without interesting comparisons, and with dull and boring recordings.

It will be a boring review.

I've spent a lot of time here and will miss Mr. F. Good luck to him and the rest.

Tyll Hertsens WAS InnerFidelity and once he was gone the website by that name died. Gone.
Michael Lavorgna left Audio Stream (or was let go, can't recall, don't care) and Audio Stream became useless and to my knowledge is no-more.
If you scroll to the bottom of this page you will see that AP is the last of the many spin-off websites and it too will go the way of the Dodo.
It is interesting to me that S'phile published Mike Fremer's review of the top Grado cartridge just two days ago. And there is no mention of his leaving on the Stereophile website. Yet. I respect Jim Austin. I suspect and hope he will say something appropriate, true, and with class.

Or is just Analog Planet?
If both... I´ll second a previous comment:
Mr. Atkinson: Help! come back to the helm!

Not really, but yes, for us who love music, HiFI, vinyl, and all, this is a significant event. AP is on my daily interweb rounds to be sure...
I agree with a more affordable approach to gear reviewed, particularly stuff that is exceptional value for money. We can all use the assist from those who get to pursue such matters professionally / semi-professionally.
As for Malachi: lad, you are bright, a good communicator (for your age) and getting better. Please lose the arrogance, gain some humility, don't engage with the trolls, and be creative enough to not use expletives in your writing.
Michael F.: I look forward to seeing where you go with your new assignment(s). I most treasure the terrific record reviews and insights.
New Michael: keep it fresh, keep it real, keep it about the music and the analog experience and all will be well here.

I think the whole family of websites here (AP, SP, SV, HFN) need big design changes. The visible space of website real estate being absolute number one issue. Even the ads seem out of place a bit.

The website style 20+ years old and it looks quite antiquated. It's also an awkward format for posters to use. It's hard to read for this middle-aged guy with astigmatic eyes. I do understand the archives would take years to get back in the right place, but maybe you guys should sell some old speakers and pay professionals to assist until its realized. It's too long overdue.

It would also be really helpful to have some editor-based suggestions and guidelines that set expectations of posters and editors on this family of websites. This way we avoid raising the ire of the editors as well as posters thinking they can offer up any comment they feel.

I am finding that censorship chafes for everyone, but perhaps by setting better expectations of say, in the vein of The Audiophile Man, posts in general would be more on point and respectful. It's important to remember that ones' opinion really doesn't matter if you are not offering up something constructive and respectfully. All discussion devolves if not.

Remind us all (myself included) that critical shit-talking should not be allowed and over time people will learn how to act here vs. a pure audio forum site. I believe Stereophile wants that, and expectations need to be broadcasted.

Money Talks, and Michael walks. clearly we don't know if there was a dust-up with AVtech Media but I'd say it's safe to say he'll be able to write his own ticket at TA/TAS. Congrats are in order Mikey, I guess. I second Andy18367's comments that The comments about Stereophile's lack of overall coverage of Axpona and Munich are spot on. I hope these changes not a sign that multiple axes are about fall at Stereophile, too.. I for one appreciate Stereophile's hard measured data contrasted with TAS' opinion only approach. As to the future AnalogPlanet, Please keep all older reviews in a Searchable Archive. Those are big shoes to fill AND a valuable resource for readers. Good Wishes to Mike Mettler. I'd see if Herb Reichert would be willing to write some content.

I think would be quite valuable as AP moves forward

funny i always thought this was fremer's website. i guess i will stick around to see what the new content is. and also see what fremer get's up to . i think he is pretty funny and glib. i did sour on him a bit when he had that dust up with the guy who has a record store and does youtube video's. thought fremer came across as a bit of a bully so to speak. but hey in the big picture it's all pretty small potatoes.

Analog Planet had 261,100 visits last month. Average visit duration, 1 minute 30 seconds.

35% female. (Good sign.)

Age is amazing: 60% were 44 and younger! (25% were 25-34.) Good demographic.

Global ranking 253,614. US ranking 101,232, Category rank 1,465 (I bet that's too broad a 'category.")

Link here: https://www.similarweb.com/website/analogplanet.com/#overview

Here is a surprise: TAS had 363,700 visits, global ranking 172,671, US ranking 78,050.

The other data here: https://www.similarweb.com/website/theabsolutesound.com/#overview

Stereophile...

800,700 visits, Global rank 34,188, 'category,' rank 400.

https://www.similarweb.com/website/stereophile.com/#overview

___

Just for a a sense of scale.

I would have guessed much lower for TAS. I've tried subscribing but I didn't relate to it as well as I relate to Stereophile's stable. Different palates, not disparaging TAS.

Are you ready for a holy crap moment?

Audio Science Review seems to be one of the big players....

2,400,000 visits last month.

Global ranking 23,411. US ranking 21,800, 'Catrgory ranking 116.

I totally did not expect that!

And, if you look at total time spent at each site, ASR runs about 3-4 times longer for viewer engagement.

https://www.similarweb.com/website/audiosciencereview.com/#overview

Numbers-wise, it seems a move to the ASR umbrella would be the Willie Sutton move.

Would it be appropriate for MF to address all the AP subscribers about his leaving and future endeavors on this site? Him being a significant part of this and clearly his reduction in content recently may be why viewer ship is down. His knowledge & wit will be missed on this channel and the ability to review products and show videos because of his relationships with manufactures by cutting all the BS by his integrity, not hawking or shilling for anyone. MM will do great job, I've read many of his reviews through different magazines since the 90's if I remember correctly, best of luck. Wish you all the best MF and thank you for the countless reviews especially your most recent 3 part series of 3 plus hours you will be missed on this site, I hope your next opportunity provides you with your choices, Thanks very much.

Michael's contributions were pretty stale (giving every review 10 or 11). The addition of his young friend really certainly made the site noisier, but certainly no better. Let's hope we can see a new a fresh direction with better content!

Seemed AP was trying to change as MF content was becoming less and less and ML content considerably increasing….and that’s direction I didn’t care for. I’m looking forward to the elimination of the dogmatic “Kanye is god the greatest artist ever” perspective.

I wish you guys good luck under new management. As long as you're focusing on bringing GREAT sounding records to your audience's attention, I will stay tuned. In the meantime, I have been a fan of Mikey's for 20+ years: I can't even tell you how many great records he's turned me on to; he is irreplaceable in the vinyl community and I look forward to checking him out at trackingangle.com

Thanks to the censor's scissors. And goodbye to the so called "democrazy".

So sad to see him depart... I enjoy his insights and his humor even though at times her reviews stuff that are priced in the stratosphere that I can not relate to... I have a hunch internal POLITICS played a role with his departure. Just makes no sense to have such a great following...... I look forward to reading his column at The Absolute Sound. Good to have choices though... Arivaderci Analog Planet. Sayonara y Adios !

I find it very interesting that all of Malachi's comments on this subject have been removed. Without them it was hard to tell where Mikey had gone.
Thank you Michael for all the years of info. This site will miss you, but I will follow you to trackingangle.

Thank you Mikey for all the years of info and thoughts, I appreciate it and look forward to following you on the new venture.

I really don't get the comments' section. It could be a place for great discussion, and it sometimes is that. If there's something I don't want to read I don't click on it. If someone has a view that I don't agree with I don't get offended or try to change their minds. I don't want it to be a place for homogenous groupthink. I could care less what Mikey's peccadillos are composed of, political, biting, or otherwise, it's what makes Mikey Mikey.

That being said there's been a decline in the quality of certain publications that's catalyzed by an aging industry that can't seem to effectively evolve or reinvent itself at a time when people have more means than any time in history yet feel personally impoverished or lagging the Jones'. I stopped paying attention to TAS about a decade ago because I didn't care for their writing, and I really liked JA1. Oddly that tide is changing, but at least I have a choice.

he was fired for age (like I was fired over a VPN.) PERIOD! He was "opinionated"!
he also didn't seem to be a lockdown Larry. He liked to do face to face business ,unlike the cloud crowd.
he also made the mistake of having ML review the old sacred boomer jazz totems.

in 4 days. Websites exist to be updated with content. Not click bait. But articles we want to read to gain knowledge of music, equipment etc. Analog Planet and the parent company makes a change and get nada. The same can be said of the clunky out dated interface and look of the sites. This is personal blog level garbage. Obviously whoever is running this business only cares about the print magazine and selling little banner and side ads. It's pretty awful. If you're going to make a seismic shift and lose a "star" columnist, at least make up for it with something for the readers instead of a review of a Grizzly Bear lp.

This site came out of The Tracking Angle, as a few others have stated. I subscribed to that in the '90s. This site had his substance and style all over it, mostly for the good.

Like him and his posts or not, it was an extension of Fremer.

So not having him be here anymore will turn thls into something else. It will be analog-related, but keeping the name doesn't mean it will have the same feel. Art Dudley's Listener Magazine was distinctly reflected his personality and perspective. Someone else using that title would likely have little of the feel which Dudley brought to it.

The same here. You might as well call this Positive Analog Feedback, or Analog Sound.

Will it be good? It might. We might as well give it chance, but it's not going to be Michael Fremer. Unless the writers are trying to specifically channeling Fremer, it will be someone else's vision through their eyes.

When I emptied my ancestral home some years ago, after my parents had died, I lugged our now vintage Onkyo stereo chain to my place, and this reignited my interest in analog sound. So after bringing down my box of vinyl records from the attic, I really got into it again.
I decided to buy a new entry level Project Essential III turntable, and before I did that, I sent Michael Fremer an email with some (now trivial) questons. But, to my surprise, he kindly and patiently replied to my questions, with his typical enthusiasm.
Vinyl records are his life, and when everyone else went over to the other (digital) side, decennia ago, Michal stubbornly chose for the 'analog' side. His role in the revival of vinyl records cannot be overestimated.
Yes, some of the stellar equipment has a stellar price tag too, but Michael also wrote about budget priced gear (search for iFi Zen, Pro-Ject etc.)
I'm going to miss Michael, especially his videos in which he walks through his huge collection of records and reviews some of the legendary recordings he owns.
I'm sure he's doing fine, and he's already working hard on his next 'endeavour'.
He'll be missed here!

https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2022/06/16/michael-fremer-is-back-with-th...

Dear Michael Framer and Analog planet
This is Akira Ishibashi from ONZOW LABO.

My email mentioned on my latest post was send to this address,
MFremer@analogplanet.com
which I found on this page.
https://www.analogplanet.com/category/ask-mikey

Before you leave Analog planet, I think you still have the responsibility to explain to your audio fans about the characteristic of plasticizers, the consequence for those who use this type of material to prevent further tragedies on their stylus.
As said before there is no plasticizer in our ONZOW ZERODUST.
Even though you will be starting on Tracking Angle, I hope you will be taking care of your fans who loved to read every single of your article here.

With regards,
Akira

In this 'era of canceling', are MF's contributions going to remain online here, or perhaps, are they being canceled?
Just curious...

Was the beginning of the end for Stereophile. I remember thinking that the day I read the news of Art's death. Columnists/reviewers of any ilk... yes they have to have a wealth of knowledge and experience but ultimately they are entertainers. Not a lot of entertainment value left at Stereophile. No Art, no Sam Tellig, no Bob Reina, now no Fremer. Reichert about the only personality they have left and he... is an acquired taste to put it mildly. What Stereophile writer now makes you excited to open up the magazine or go to the website? Serinus? I actually like him and think he gives a good account of himself but man it's a slog to get through one of his reviews without just skipping to the end to see if he liked it or not. New editor is unreadable and also often doesn't seem to make any sense. Entertainment value, at least for a while now, has been what Stereophile had over TAS. In the absence of it, the 'Phile stable feels like a crew of lightweights when it comes to actual knowledge. Though maybe it doesn't matter because the only question facing any blog or rag in this space is how to get younger and no one seems to have an answer yet.

I have followed Michael Fremer since i was a kid in tha 90's , From his articles in the stereo rag's that i so enjoyed reading , To his crusade for vinyl records and wanting to show the world that they sounded better than CDs, He has dedicated his life to getting good analog sound, And though he will be missed dearly i have no doubt that Malachi and Mike M share his passion and will keep AP going strong for years to come, The guys running this site are not just going to get bored with their records and sell them all, They have passion and love for this hobby you can see in the way they write,,, Looking foward to reading,,,

Can we please have an edit link after we post? I am a terrible writer and usually have to go back and make changes to my initial post. It would go a long way towards making me more coherent.

I’d like comparisons. I asked MF if he liked a turntable he just favorably reviewed more than than one he he favorably reviewed months earlier. He said he couldn’t compare them because he didn’t have them to compare side by side. That response didn’t strike me as integrity as much as avoiding offending a manufacturer and sponsor. So, let’s see some side by side comparisons…start with $1000-1500 direct drive turntables equiped with the same cartridges.

Where do I begin? Mike has been the one voice of truth and reason in a forest of offerings and suspect claims. He gave me my first break with a Don Bartley / Sgt. Pepper Audio 5 interview here in Analog Planet, and I owe him a big debt of gratitude.

I have always loved his writing style - blending personal stories with his incisive technical knowledge. And I've always appreciated his reviews of the more esoteric and expensive gear, as that's a fascinating area to me, whether or not I can can afford that $200K turntable. He has always made an effort to cover both ends of the price spectrum.

And I'm sorry to see folks taking aim at Malachi - he's a superb writer, and simply has his own opinions about music, as we all do. When Mike invited him to write, I felt that was a brilliant way to directly engage an incoming generation of vinyl fans. His taste in music may be different than my own, but my Dad wasn't fond of my AC/DC, Cheap Trick, Led Zeppelin and Frampton albums, either. :) He provides honest and well crafted appraisals through his own lens.

I'll miss Mike here, but also wish the incoming team all the best. He will be a tough act to follow, but any site that promotes and studies the elements of this fantastic hobby deserves our ongoing support.

Well seeing Michael leave is sad.

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

https://www.irvingconcretecompany.com will stay tuned for more analog excellence!

Mike, this is indeed a new era for Analog Planet, and it's exciting to see the dedication and expertise that you and the team are bringing to the table. Michael Fremer's contributions will be missed, but it's clear that the future is bright with such a wealth of knowledge and passion for analog content.

As a vinyl enthusiast, I would love to see more coverage on the following:

Deluxe Box Set Reviews: Detailed breakdowns of whether these sets are worth the investment, focusing on the quality of the vinyl, the comprehensiveness of the liner notes, and the overall value.

Turntable and Speaker Upgrades: Advice on when and why to upgrade, including comparisons between models and practical tips for making the most of new equipment.

Vinyl-Centric Interviews: Deep dives with musicians, producers, engineers, and manufacturers about their processes, inspirations, and the unique challenges of working with analog media.

Record Store Features: Spotlights on notable record stores around the world, sharing their history, unique offerings, and why they are must-visit destinations for vinyl lovers.

Vinyl Maintenance and Setup Tips: Practical advice on maintaining records, turntable setup, and troubleshooting common issues to help ensure the best listening experience.

Thank you for continuing to provide such valuable content and for keeping the analog spirit alive. I'm looking forward to seeing what's next for Analog Planet!

Spin on!

PS: or those who love to combine their passion for music with travel, I highly recommend checking out travelsFAQ.com. It's a great resource for anyone looking to explore new places while enjoying their music collection. Whether you're on the road or flying to a new destination, www.travelsfaq.com has tips and advice to make your travels more enjoyable.

Analog planet is a website and community for lovers of analog music, audio, and vintage audio equipment. so I joined crossy road

will catch up with your other ventures. Hopefully the new editor(s) of this site will respect its long history and enthusiastic support for all things analog.
--------------------
wibratory sklep

Thanks for WELCOMING US,

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