Michael Fremer

AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
Coltrane "Live" At The Village Vanguard  Lives Again!
Michael Fremer  |  Jan 27, 2022  |  23 comments
Listening today to this record originally released February, 1962—60 years ago—it’s difficult to understand why it created controversy so intense that Downbeat’s editor at the time invited Coltrane and Eric Dolphy to “defend” it in print. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a jazz album entry point, this live album probably wouldn’t be it—especially side two. Sixty years on, “Chasin’ The Trane” (name given by RVG who said he literally had to “chase Coltrane” on mic to capture him during the performances) might still send some running for cover (or covers, of which there’s but one on here, Hammerstein and Romberg’s beautiful “Softly As In a Morning Sunrise”).

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Phono Preamp Reviews
Hegel's Remarkable V10 Phono Preamplifier
Michael Fremer  |  Jan 19, 2022  |  First Published: Jan 19, 2022  |  28 comments
When in the late 1980s Bent Holter started Hegel—named after The Hegel Band, a rock band in which he played, which itself must have been named for the philosopher—designing a phono preamplifier would have been the last thing on his mind, if a phono preamplifier would have been at all on his mind—at least one to manufacture. He’d built one for personal use, I recall him telling me a few years ago at an EISA convention.

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Capital AudioFest 2013
Fozgometer V2 From Musical Surroundings
Michael Fremer  |  Jan 12, 2022  |  First Published: Jan 12, 2022  |  27 comments
Musical Surroundings just announced a new V2 version of its Fozgometer, a highly successful azimuth adjustment tool, the original of which has sold close to 5000 units.

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Features
In “The Valley”, Mastering Engineer Kevin Gray Opens Cohearent Recording A/K/A “Hackensack West"
Michael Fremer  |  Jan 10, 2022  |  First Published: Jan 10, 2022  |  15 comments
Rudy Van Gelder turned his parents’ cozy Hackensack, N.J. living room into a recording studio in which was produced, recorded and mastered some of Blue Note and Prestige’s most iconic and sought-after records, or so the legend goes.

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News
Mobile Fidelity Announces Ambitious "TBA" "One Step" Series
Michael Fremer  |  Jan 09, 2022  |  First Published: Jan 09, 2022  |  69 comments
Mobile Fidelity recently announced a new series of "One Step" vinyl box sets that includes titles from Miles Davis, Van Halen, CS&N, Eric Clapton, The Eagles, Carol King, Cannonball Adderley, James Taylor and more mostly aimed at Baby Boomer hearts and wallets. We counted 23 in all on the Music Direct website.
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Features
PowerVision S1 May Become "Go To" Video Accessory for Audio Show Coverage
Michael Fremer  |  Jan 08, 2022  |  First Published: Jan 08, 2022  |  5 comments
Okay, this is "off topic" but a very cool compact about 1/2 pound gimbal for smart phones costing $239 was offered for review (I will buy it) so I said "why not"? It’s pocket sized, relatively flat, feature packed and includes useful software for iOS and Android.

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AAA VinylNews
Electric Recording Company To Release Coltrane's Giant Steps In "True Mono"
Michael Fremer  |  Jan 06, 2022  |  First Published: Jan 06, 2022  |  36 comments
The Electric Recording Company announced today it will be releasing John Coltrane's ground breaking 1959 Atlantic album Giant Steps cut from the original Atlantic master tape using a mono cutter head on its 1965 all tube Lyrec cutting system.

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FeaturesRecord Cleaning Tips
The Big Dust Off!
Michael Fremer  |  Jan 06, 2022  |  First Published: Jan 06, 2022  |  51 comments
Dry dusting records before play is critical for both stylus and record longevity. New records come out of the jacket dusty because they are pressed in relatively dusty environments and in some cases spend a great deal of time stacked on spindles before being packed.

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Analog Gear NewsNews
At C.E.S. 2022 Cambridge Audio Introduces Two New Turntables
Michael Fremer  |  Jan 06, 2022  |  First Published: Jan 06, 2022  |  4 comments
January 5, 2022, Las Vegas, NV, USA – "British hi-fi specialist Cambridge Audio has announced two new additions to its Alva turntable range: Alva TT V2 and Alva ST. Unveiled for the first time at CES 2022 in Las Vegas, the new Alva turntables build on the success of the highly acclaimed and innovative Alva TT – launched in 2019 as the world’s first aptX HD Bluetooth turntable – and are backed by over 50 years of Cambridge Audio’s expertise and experience in making great hi-fi for music lovers to enjoy. "

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Album Reviews
Art Blakey And The Jazz Messengers/First Flight To Tokyo: The Lost 1961 Recordings
Michael Fremer  |  Jan 03, 2022  |  52 comments
The Blakey was cut from 96/24 files according to Chris Bellman at BG Mastering for the surmised reason: the songs were on multiple tapes and the most expeditious way to produce cutting masters was to first digitize. The annotation wasn't clear but I don't think anyone was "trying to pull a fast one"._MF). It was Beatlemania when Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers landed at Haneda Airport, New Year’s Day, 1961. Of course, The Beatles hadn’t yet happened, but neither had Blakey and his group ever been greeted in America with the rousing enthusiasm they encountered both upon landing and during the series of shows in which they performed in Japan that month.

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