Michael Fremer leaves Analog Planet

Pity.  I quite liked Mikey's columns but unfortunately his liking for expensive kit (especially turntables/arms) may be associated with the terms on which he is said to be able to acquire them.

In the good old days his reference for 8 years was Simon Yorke's S7 that cost a mere $12,000 or so then and played records rather than did bling.  I still reference Simon's record players.

Absolute Sounds sucks compared to Stereophile, so I won't be reading any Mikey in future.

@dover  +1 on the "advertorials"

I had never laid eyes on that one before.  So true.

Bring back J. Gordon Holt! 

Regards,

barts

Never read his articles, never cared about what he said. Dropped my subscription to AS and Stereophile a few years ago, never experienced the “vinyl resurgence” as vinyl never left me. Only eventually bought a CD player because I could not get new music by my fav artists on vinyl. Felt like digital was forced upon me as a consumer. The only expert I care about, is how my “expert” ears hear.

@dover, +1 on Fremer’s contributions to the resurgence of vinyl (and on “advertorials”).

I have liked Fremer since his early TAS days.  First of all, and important to me when assessing a reviewer’s relevance, is that when he speaks about the music he does so intelligently.  I remember his early TAS review of his capacitor mods to his lowly Hafler preamp and what a revelation this was for him….and me.  This was back in the day when hobbyists were just learning about the benefits of mods like capacitor upgrades.  I like his passion for the hobby and his quirky and sometimes funny style; a style befitting his background as an aspiring stand up comic…. ok, sure, let’s hear the snarky comments about that one! 

Speaking of snarky comments, I would also say that the vitriol directed at Fremer (and audio critics in general) by some “enthusiasts” is often nothing more than sheer envy.  On some level we all wish we could afford, or at least have access to all those uber expensive toys.  It’s just not fair, right?!

If people like Michael Fremer then who cares where he goes so long as he's on this side of the grass.