Michael Fremer

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Playback Accessory ReviewsVote
Do Record Mats Really Make a Sonic Difference? And if So, Which of These Do You Prefer.
Michael Fremer  |  Jul 11, 2014  |  62 comments
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Cable Reviews
Do Tonearm Cables Make a Sonic Difference? You Decide! (Broken CU Link Repaired)
Michael Fremer  |  Jun 08, 2017  |  First Published: Jun 08, 2017  |  25 comments
More Munich High End and LAAS coverage coming but first: can you hear differences among tonearm cables? Kuzma for one, offers a couple of tonearm wire options but without first hearing each, now can you know which to order? I asked Franc Kuzma for some samples. He sent me three 4Point arm tubes, one of which was wired with two different cables, for a total of four wire choices, though I'm not sure all are currently available options.

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Album Reviews
Do You Buy Madeleine Peyroux? Should You Buy This Record?
Michael Fremer  |  Sep 01, 2006  |  0 comments

“She brushes off comparisons to Billie Holiday,” according to Mobile Fidelity’s online blurb. Why? That’s like denying the elephant in the room. Peyroux’s squooshy vibrato and top of the throat delivery produce sly vocal timbres that just about channel Billie Holiday between your speakers. Even the miking and equalization have been carefully chosen to sustain the Holiday allusion and almost mimic the mellow recording quality of the time, just as the inner gatefold photography and Peyroux’s outfits reprise the visuals of the ‘40s. It’s canny but I find it distracting and mannered.

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Album Reviews
Does Universal's New Japanese-Pressed 200g Nevermind Compete With the OOP Mo-Fi?
Michael Fremer  |  Dec 01, 2007  |  0 comments

Good luck finding a copy. They're pretty much sold out and the price of used copies is only likely to rise for this iconic grunge-rock album with the "sell-out" cover.

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
Does Chasing the Dragon's "España" "Jump the Shark"?
Michael Fremer  |  Jul 18, 2017  |  2 comments
España is Chasing the Dragon's latest and most ambitious Direct-to-Disc record. It's difficult enough to record Direct-to-Disc a string ensemble, or a big band or a big band with vocalist, all of which the label has done successfully managed.

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Phono Preamp Reviews
Does Curl's Jr. Have the Beef?
Michael Fremer  |  Feb 24, 2018  |  First Published: Feb 24, 2018  |  15 comments
First released in 2010, Parasound’s JC 3 MM/MC phono preamplifier began as a dual-mono John Curl-designed phono section retro-fit for its JC2 line stage. With vinyl’s popularity on the rise, Parasound’s Richard Schram figured a stand-alone version priced right might find an audience.

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Letters to the Editor
Does Setting SRA at 92 Degrees Work?
Michael Fremer  |  Sep 24, 2014  |  First Published: Sep 24, 2014  |  28 comments
Ever since I set up my Benz Micro Gullwing SLR to 92 degrees VTA w/ the corresponding proper Azimuth set up. As you've lectured in the Hifi show & your DVD. I've been enjoying my system ever since and had no desire to upgrade my system.
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Record Handling and Storage Tips
Does The Tribute Rack Stack Up With Per Madsen's Rackit Racks?
Michael Fremer  |  Nov 07, 2012  |  5 comments
In the recent news item about a replacement for the no longer manufactured Per Madsen Rackit record storage racks, we wondered whether they were of equal quality. So when Tribute Rack manufacturer Jef Fowler of Portland, OR's Two Can HiFi emailed and offered to send a review sample, I refused.
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Features
Does Vinyl Have Wider Dynamic Range Than CDs? Here's Some Math
Michael Fremer  |  Feb 02, 2015  |  First Published: Feb 02, 2015  |  60 comments
While many of us seem to hear wider dynamic range coming from vinyl, the numbers would seem to point in the opposite direction. Or do they?

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RMAF 2015
Döhmann Helix 1 Turntable Finished and Looking Great!
Michael Fremer  |  Oct 23, 2015  |  First Published: Oct 23, 2015  |  9 comments
The Döhmann Helix 1 turntable, designed by Mark Doehmann appeared at Munich's Hi-End 2015 show in not quite finished form. At RMAF it was there finished, though perhaps with a few minor cosmetic tweaks still to come.

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