Reviewing the Reviewers

Thanks for turning me on to this site! The author struck a real chord in me. And a deep one at that. I am on record here regarding my feelings about Michael Fremer. And Jonathan Scull, for that matter. In my opinion, both perfectly illustrate how far Stereophile has indeed fallen. I will only deal with Fremer here. His letter to the author is a summation of all that he is. And is not. Fremer is a textbook case of the short guy syndrome. I have never been a fan of him, or his writing. I believe his overinflated popularity is a direct reflection on his vinyl leanings. His opinions are as often baseless as they are on point. He is continuously on his high horse. One that lectures and patronizes, rife with condescension. As if he is somehow gifted, or better than the great unwashed. Able to hear better than others. Able to judge a component better than others. As stated before, he is clueless on an incredibly frequent basis. Bragging about his reviewing talents and experience one minute; chiding those less experienced in the field. Explaining with surprise the sonic signature of an Audio Research power amplifier the next. Audio Research is to tube amplification what GM is to automobiles. A reviewer portraying himself to be a tubeophile who does not know about Audio Research's sound is a flat amateur. In fact, the whole review of this product was an utter waste of time. One in which several variables were juggled without the slightest thought about them. Starting with cables, and ending with confusion. How could the conclusions of this review elicit anything along the lines of credibility? His anger in the letter is of no surprise. His indignation is a running theme of his personality. Witness his retort of the letters regarding the very expensive turntable he reviewed. To say that he was less than courteous would be a supreme understatement. Gone are the capable reviewers of the Stereophile of yesterday. Gone are the days of the annual Audio Equipment Directory. Where we audiophiles were presented with an objective list of virtually all audio components. Along with contact information. We could search out the equipment that piqued our interests, and then review it OURSELVES. Forming our own "Recommended Components" list. A complete list. We are now left with the flagship publication of our hobby whose second most critical reviewer is sometimes incompetant, sometimes disengenous. And all of the time a horse's butt...

I have spent a lot of time reading through Arthur's site. Jctubes put it better than I could when he said that this is a breath of fresh air. Jctubes also says the one thing I read in Stereophile that I most agree with, "You had to spend more to realize you didn't have to spend more..." Arthur says A LOT that I agree with. Some that I do not. Nothing that I am in major disagreement about. The one thing that I believe he is limited by is being only one person. Unlike lists gathered from groups of people(Stereophile, and even we here at Audiogon), you are only seeing one person's opinion. At some point, that becomes a detriment. Sean, it is nice to hear that Michael Fremer is not the same guy in real life. He just picked up a couple of big points in my book based on your comment. It seems Moncrieff has never engendered a lot of support for the Nobel Peace Prize, but he has caused us to think more about the capacitors, solder, wire, etc that we use. Fremer doesn't have anything like that on his resume.

Sean, I do not have any old IARs. I have read from them in the past. But, it has been a LONG time. And I was also reading with different eyes back then. I used to read for different things back then. I take your word on his personality. Was he at least informative, on top of the bluster? I cannot recall any negative reactions to him that I had. From the Wonder products I used, I have nothing but the highest praise. I later found better, but they got the ball rolling for me.

I am surpised by the lack of response to this thread. Where is the anger over much of our hobby being controlled by an absolute bunch of thieving robber barons? Salvatore's site, while limited, is a fresh and revealing breath of air. It is most unlike the typical audio publication, in that there is a no BS tone. I would love to be able to subscribe to a publication such as IAR. As it is now, I only buy Stereophile. While I have NO plans to cancel(or not renew when the time comes) my subscription, I would love another magazine to come to my home. As it stands, we are more than poorly served. Where have our favorite writers gone? Dick Olsher, Robert Harley, Jack English, Peter Moncrieff, etc. Into oblivion. Replaced by the feeble likes of Jonathan Scull, Michael Fremer, Kalman Rubinson, Chip Stern, Brian Damkroger, et al. I even long for the days of Wes Phillips, who consistently characterized himself as an amateur. Sadly, there is not much else to choose from. The Absolute Sound is as much hit as miss(keeps me from picking up a subscription). Stereo Review was never anything serious, and has sold out even more. It, along with The Audio Critic are not the type of publication that appeals to us on this site. The mostly English European magazines leave me unfulfilled. Audio has bit the dust, taking my favorite audio related issue(annual equipment guide away). The Golden Days of Audio publications these are not...

OK Djjd, let's see what you are about. Maybe now, we should start looking at you with the same microscope that you want to use on some of the "reviewers" on Audiogon. It is now more than obvious that you are completely obsessed with me right now. Why is that? Do you think that I am that important? Or, that I am that interesting to talk or think about? I can assure you that I am none of these things. Sorry to disappoint you. Just an average guy who loves audio, but loves music even more. "Annoited"? By who? For and as what? If your opinion is that I am on a high horse, I can assure you, you know me not at all. I express myself on this site, and welcome the expressions of others. You, on the other hand seem to have the idea that your teethless banter is enough to quell the opinions of someone(in this case, me) on this site. You can best believe you do not have any such power. I stand by my words. My assertion of Michael Fremer is the way I honestly read the guy. I have a subscription to Stereophile. I love the magazine. The fact that I express my unhappiness with certain reviewers of facets of the magazine is a plea for it to return to the higher level it once occupied. A question to you, are you here to add anything of consequence, take part in the discussion of audio(what this site is about, believe it or not), or ask a question? Or, is it just to trash me(be honest)? I have witnessed a lot on this site. Your spouting off at me this week is one of the more remarkable things that I have seen. Believe me, I can take anything you can dish out. I am a big boy. I just want to know what are your reasons? If you are man enough, you will come out with it. And, it will be THE TRUTH. Let's try to break it down a little. This whole campaign of yours started with my discussion of the Hifi Show in New York City. I obviously really touched a nerve there(and it's eating you up inside). Admit it. I must have offended you by trashing something very, very dear to you. Is it something you own? Something you, a friend, or relative of yours manufactures, sells, in some way represents, or writes about? We can see this miles away. Come on, come out with it. And I mean the truth, the whole truth, and NOTHING but the truth. That is, if you have the guts...

Djjd, I am not the attacking type of person. Despite the streak you seem to have found me in. I will not attack you. In fact, I will compliment you. For standing up like a man, and presenting yourself. All in a rational, sane, intelligent way. You seem to be a very admirable person. The first few paragraphs show you to be exactly the type of person I most root for in life. That is why I am not that big a fan of Fremer. However, if you read my reply to Sean(who said Fremer is actually a good guy in person), you will see my take on him mellowed after that. But, I still have problems with him in my favorite magazine(the only one I care enough about to subscribe to). I am sorry if I came across as arrogant, obnoxious, or mean spirited. Hopefully, you will believe me when I tell you I detest those things, and try my hardest not to be anything like that. I am simply a guy who loves audio, and loves music. If my passion gets the best of me, perhaps I need to be reigned in. I do try to be forever vigilant in this hobby. Looking for the value products, eschewing those I find to be sheep in wolves clothing. I do agree(for the most part) that almost every product can be good in some system. My derivesivness at Talon was more out of sense of disappointment in the way they sounded to me, at the show. I have seen this product talked about in such polarizing arguments. Some love them, some hate them. Based on what I heard at the show, I fall into the second group. Without a doubt. I would allow that a broken in pair(if those at the show were not), in a good room, might just make me smile. Always willing to give a product a second, third, or fourth chance. The truth is, I want to love EVERY product in this industry. Why not? I have a voracious apetite for everything in this hobby. While I cannot buy everything, I want to at least derive pleasure from it in another's system, through an audition, or at a show. You are correct, I have criticized a fair amount of products. All of which I have expected so much from(don't think I react so strongly to value equipment that I find lacking), only to be let down. Just like the Legacy speakers you mentioned previously. I lusted after them for so long as a teenager. For years, I read their literature and specs. One day I found a used pair for sale. If they were too far to be auditioned, I would have bought them sound unheard. But, the dealer happened to be local. I went there flying above the clouds, foaming at the mouth to buy them. Then... Nothing. Talk about letdowns. I gave them more(many) chances. Same reaction. My biggest disappointment in audio. How could I NOT love them? This started me on a new quest. I am still on it. To actually use my ears, rather than my eyes to listen to equipment. Yes, I probably am too emotional about this hobby. Please accept my apology for any words said in less than civil tones. Hopefully, we can now shake hands, and move on.