Michael Fremer

News
A Wally Malewicz Memorial
Michael Fremer  |  Jun 28, 2019  |  First Published: Jun 28, 2019  |  4 comments
Dave Gordon, who is Audio Research's Brand Ambassador, and who I've known for more than a few decades was a neighbor of my late mentor and friend Wally Malewicz. Dave sent this note and asked for people to share with others who considered Wally a friend. If any AnalogPlanet readers have gotten any good vinyl playback information from me, most of it originated with Wally, so consider him a friend. Therefore here's Dave's note:

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Cartridge Reviews
Sumiko's Songbird is a New, Moderately Priced High Output Moving Coil Cartridge
Michael Fremer  |  Jun 20, 2019  |  First Published: Jun 20, 2019  |  21 comments
Any resemblance between Sumiko’s $899 “Songbird” high output moving coil cartridge and the rest of the Reference line’s “bird” cartridges—the $1249 Blackbird (available in both low and high output versions) and the new $1899 “open architecture” flagship Starling is strictly intentional. Sumiko has been in the cartridge business for decades and these are all made in the same reliably high-quality factory that I visited a few years ago.

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Analog Gear News
"Aretha's Gold" Is Limited to 4000 Copies and Should Already Be Souled Out!
Michael Fremer  |  Jun 18, 2019  |  2 comments
Mobile Fidelity's double 45rpm reissue of Aretha's Gold (originally issued in 1969 as Atlantic SD 8227) gets off to not such a great sonic start because though "I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)" and "Do Right Woman-Do Right Man" are musical classics that belong at the head of the hits lineup, the Rick Hall engineered recordings at his Fame Record Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama pale in comparison to everything else in this molten set recorded at Atlantic Studios in New York City.

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Can I Have My Money Back?
This Story Ran in The New York Daily News January 7th 1992
Michael Fremer  |  Jun 08, 2019  |  First Published: Jun 08, 2019  |  25 comments
The reporter called me "Mitchell" Fremer, and you might not recognize me in the photo taken 27 years ago, but the words will be familiar. I laid it all out in 1992 and I was correct! I had completely forgotten about this story and didn't even have a copy. I found it among my wife's aunt's papers.

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
Vinyl Me, Please Reissues Buddy Guy's "Left My Blues In San Francisco"
Michael Fremer  |  Jun 05, 2019  |  2 comments
Buddy Guy’s 1967 Chess release—his first— has nothing to do with San Francisco, nor was it recorded July of 1967 though the jacket says it was. No big deal. Someone (probably Leonard Chess) chose to reference San Francisco because “flower power” was happening and it seemed like a good way to grab the white kids’ interest. The recording date was chosen close to the original release date so it would sound current but in fact, this is a compilation that includes tracks recorded between 1962 and 1967.

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Features
EISA (Expert Imaging and Sound Association) 2019 Highlights
Michael Fremer  |  Jun 05, 2019  |  First Published: Jun 05, 2019  |  1 comments
Founded in 1982 by the editors-in-chiefs from five European photography magazines to select the "camera of the year", EISA has grown to international stature and now includes groups covering Hi-fi, home theater, mobile phones, in-car electronics and other categories

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News
AMG Viella Forte Turntable Makes U.S. Debut At Audio Connection Saturday June 8th
Michael Fremer  |  Jun 04, 2019  |  First Published: Jun 04, 2019  |  5 comments
Audio Connection in Verona New Jersey welcomes Garth Leerer of Musical Surroundings on Saturday, June 8th from Noon to 5pm for our 9th annual Analog Open House.

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Analog Corner
Analog Corner #116
Michael Fremer  |  Jun 03, 2019  |  First Published: Mar 03, 2005  |  4 comments
van den Hul Grasshopper Condor Gold (Photo: Michael Fremer)

On November 17, 2004, Shure Brothers announced the discontinuation of its legendary V15VxMR moving-magnet phono cartridge, bringing to a close 40 years of V15 cartridges, beginning with the original V15, introduced in 1964 at the then-outrageous price of $62.50.

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Munich 2019
High End Munich 2019 Days 3 & 4—Mop Up, Wrap Up and Clean Up! (Note to U.S. Viewers)
Michael Fremer  |  May 21, 2019  |  First Published: May 21, 2019  |  30 comments
ADDITIONAL NOTE: MY APPEAL WAS REJECTED. THEREFORE, BECAUSE THERE'S 11 SECONDS OF AC/DC PLAYING ON A TURNTABLE IN A ROOM, IF I DO NOT REMOVE THE 11 SECONDS OF THAT MUSIC, THE VIDEO WILL BE BLOCKED. I'M IN THE PROCESS OF DOING THAT, BUT WHAT A LAME MOVE BY SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT! Note:This video was initially blocked by a company called SME, which has nothing whatsoever to do with the turntable and tone arm company SME. This SME is a music publisher related company that trolls the Internet looking for horrible transgressions such as on this video that uses 11.2 seconds of AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long", which was playing on a turntable in a room I visited at High End Munich. The idiocy of this blockage, especially based on 11.2 seconds of incidental background music at a hi-fi show that encourages people to purchase physical media, should be self-evident but as is usual in the music business, an ax is used here instead of a scalpel. Idiots! I am still overseas, but have been told it's been restored while I appeal the copyright strike.

. With just about every new turntable at High End Munich covered, Days 3 and 4 were times to slow down, visit more rooms and have a few record cleaning adventures. Coverage is not finished though. There will be another video coming that you might enjoy.

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Munich 2019
High End Munich 2019 Day Two Coverage—Even More Turntables!
Michael Fremer  |  May 20, 2019  |  First Published: May 20, 2019  |  13 comments
Day two at High End Munich 2019 brought consumer crowds to the show, adding excitement and a great deal of noise. The video highlights many more new turntables, phono preamps and record cleaning devices and even one useful digital product for those who also play SACDs, DVD-As and Blu-ray music discs.

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