Getting to know Michael Fremer, Art Dudley and their hi-fi systems...

[Spectral Morn]

Fair enough. I guess there's a bit of jealousy on my part since 5 digit bits of hifi are somewhat un-affordable, but they are also a bit unpalatable to me. I did note he hadn't bought the mega-bucks cables...

There is another video on the stereophile website of art talking to herb about imaging. I found that entertaining.

I do like Art's view that everything distorts, just chose you personal preference.

Yes and he explained why. I think that fair enough, he is open and honest about the long term loan and that kind of transparency in any industry is to be applauded. I am not the jealous type so don't think that way. I would love to hear his system and I rejoice in his good fortune, in that he thought of creating a turntable set up DVD and earns so much from it and his travelling to present workshops and the like. Any of us could have done that, but didn't.

[Minstrel SE]

Ive just been watching the "High Water Sound" Stereophile video. A lot of these videos have been coming up in the recommended section recently.

I just look at their rooms and wonder what these people earn? I dont usually watch this type of video as these highly expensive turntables, amps and speakers are well beyond my financial world. Threre is almost no point watching 3 motors working in tandem and heavy copper platters with gel in them as I cant afford it anyway

Its like watching Lamborghini videos. Its just a dream about sports motoring and its actually beginning to bother me that I will never have that sort of money.

In that sense these videos and Stereophile articles become meaningless to me. I had better stop because its just making me jealous and I try not to be the jealous type.

What I want to see is pointers to equipment I can afford that will give me a significant percentage of the performance these people are experiencing

[Joe]

Ive just been watching the "High Water Sound" Stereophile video. A lot of these videos have been coming up in the recommended section recently.

I just look at their rooms and wonder what these people earn? I dont usually watch this type of video as these highly expensive turntables, amps and speakers are well beyond my financial world. Threre is almost no point watching 3 motors working in tandem and heavy copper platters with gel in them as I cant afford it anyway

Its like watching Lamborghini videos. Its just a dream about sports motoring and its actually beginning to bother me that I will never have that sort of money.

In that sense these videos and Stereophile articles become meaningless to me. I had better stop because its just making me jealous and I try not to be the jealous type.

What I want to see is pointers to equipment I can afford that will give me a significant percentage of the performance these people are experiencing

Actually, if something is waaaay beyond what I could ever afford, it doesn't bother me, and I don't feel jealous of those who have that sort of money. What niggles are products that are just within reach, at a stretch, if I don't have a holiday, only buy cheap wine, stop buying books, took out a bank loan ...

[Pharos]

My reaction to the Fremer rooms was a little bit, not jealous as much as, well, wondering what he had done to deserve such an environment where he could just compare the best available. But justice is little to do with our life outcomes.

The second consideration was the seemingly almost obscene amount of human effort and engineering that must have gone into that equipment. I wonder if it really is much better than we have all heard, after all there are many successful and well qualified designers who would laugh at what has been done.

The law of diminishing returns must be illustrated there, and it does raise moral questions about opulence in a world where so many have unfulfilled basic needs.

I'm left wondering just how trained his hearing is, and if he really does hear better sound than many others with equipment at a lower price. He is not an appealing person to me, and is disliked by many.

[Marco]

What niggles are products that are just within reach, at a stretch, if I don't have a holiday, only buy cheap wine, stop buying books, took out a bank loan ...

Off-topic, I know, but you've mentioned your love for fine wine before, but rarely discuss it or which wines you've bought/have enjoyed recently on the wine thread. I'm just curious, why is that? I, for one, would be interested and would like to hear about what you've been slurping!

Marco.

[walpurgis]

He is not an appealing person to me, and is disliked by many.

But not by me. I tend to like his writings.

[Joe]

Off-topic, I know, but you've mentioned your love for fine wine before, but rarely discuss it or which wines you've bought/have enjoyed recently on the wine thread. I'm just curious, why is that? I, for one, would be interested and would like to hear about what you've been slurping!

Marco.

I'm not sure. I guess I just drink the wine and forget about it. The last wine I drank (apart from the wine we had at the wedding reception last weekend) was a bottle of Provence Rose; this one in fact:

https://www.bbr.com/products-44389-2...-la-mascaronne

I'll try to remember to write up future wines!

[Marco]

Nice one, Joe. I'd appreciate that

Good choice of rosé, btw!

Marco.

[Minstrel SE]

My reaction to the Fremer rooms was a little bit, not jealous as much as, well, wondering what he had done to deserve such an environment where he could just compare the best available. But justice is little to do with our life outcomes.

The second consideration was the seemingly almost obscene amount of human effort and engineering that must have gone into that equipment. I wonder if it really is much better than we have all heard, after all there are many successful and well qualified designers who would laugh at what has been done.

The law of diminishing returns must be illustrated there, and it does raise moral questions about opulence in a world where so many have unfulfilled basic needs.

I'm left wondering just how trained his hearing is, and if he really does hear better sound than many others with equipment at a lower price. He is not an appealing person to me, and is disliked by many.

Yes I agree. It makes me wonder about the law of diminishing returns and the privileged set he is actually talking to. Even the way he chooses records is world apart from mine. I think it gets too obsessive and even boring because Im lucky to get one copy never mind a first pressing made by a certain company.

Anyone with a well designed turntable,arm and moving coil cartridge is going to experience a good deal of what he is talking about.

I cant deny that it is of some interest to see the best craftmanship available. I would be pleased to hear it at a hi fi show one day.

However I think the Stereophile crew have a greater duty to use that experience and recommend Hi Fi equipment that is affordable to many of us.

[pgarrish]

Perhaps hifi, like cars and many other consumer products, is simply too good to be interesting now, so the reviews look at more and more esoteric stuff simply because you’d end up with a magazine full of 8/10 reviews otherwise?

I’ve got sick of top gear reviewing stuff that’s obscenely expensive, and I’ve got sick of hifi reviews that are the same.

I use a £30 chromecast as my source now not because it sounds better than my cdp or squeezebox but because it’s plenty good enough that the ease of use more than outweighs the tiny loss of quality. £500,000 systems smack of willy waving to me, especially when spending a tenth of that on the room would get far more performance improvement albeit without being as impressive to see.