Michael Fremer said :-

[Jimbo]

Funny how the music industry now backs vinyl with a passion. Many artists are now having the release date of their albums delayed until they can get a confirmed production date for the vinyl version to be produced. How things have changed! I am not naive as to the reasons behind this which are predominantly MONEY and revenue. Where as the Vinyl version of a record release was completely ignored and in the 90s wasn't even made available for most material,
now it is an essential earner for the music industry.

Unfortunately the digital version of the music, because of streaming, has become almost worthless. CD sales are still plunging and I would say 90% of streamed music is done for free thanks to Spotify.

So the tables have turned in favour of vinyl!

[AJSki2fly]

We all have egos. It simply depends on whether you allow them to control you or not, and also if you're able to recognise and embrace your faults. I think part of the problem with Fremer (and his ilk) is that in general the rather 'reserved' nature of British people conflicts with the opposite of many (successful) Americans!

Plus, we've always been a nation with a tendency to support the underdog more, and praise 'gallant losers', than champion and commend true achievers and winners. In America it's quite different - and that is part of the problem with how people such as Fremer are perceived by British audiophiles.

In that respect, I simply see him as someone who's done well for himself, through hard work, and isn't afraid to show it - and I applaud that attitude!



Notwithstanding, of course, that the definition of a "plonker" is entirely subjective

As for friends, I didn't set out to make any, when starting this forum [rather to express my views on a number of relevant subjects and help others if I could], but have succeeded to make some good ones in the process, as well as upset a few folk along the way, such is life.

As the old saying goes: 'You can't please all of the people all of the time', so you do your best to be true to what you're passionate about and believe in, sticking to your principles in the process, in the hope that someone will appreciate what you're doing and benefit from it. I suspect that Fremer has a similar mantra, and believes that he's been successful in it.

Marco.

Well having viewed the whole of Mr Fremer's video yesterday, and actually concentrated on it I have formed a personal view. So some of what I am about to say may mean others class me as a plonker but to be honest I don't care, so maybe I am one.

I actually didn't find Mr Fremer being particularly boastful, he was IMO opinion just showing what he had as kit, and pointed out on several occasions this had been acquired over a number of years, and even that he had borrowed money to buy some of it from the bank to get it. I don't understand what people see wrong in that? He obviously is a music fan, and has spent many years collecting records, and presumably 2nd hand as well as new, which I can relate to, but certainly not on the same scale.

The kit he did not own he said was on loan and under test, which is to be expected based on what he does. He also said that it was not the best of listening rooms but had got it to what he wanted, and his system had that wow factor, once again I don't see much wrong with that. I think we all hope our system is special in some way and if a respected reviewers system was not great in the first place then he would not have much to judge other products against, low or hi-end that is.

I am not sure why some find him arrogant, maybe its just because he has some very expensive gear that he is talking about, well so what, my system is relatively expensive in comparison to what others own but that does not necessarily make me an arrogant person. Personally I feel lucky to own what I have and be able to enjoy it, I expect Mr Kremer is much the same but in his case it is part of what he does to make a living.

[struth]

according to the Recording Industry Association of America, labels shipped 10.2 million vinyl singles and 2.2 million LPs and EPs in 1995. Still, the number of vinyl LPs/EPs shipped actually went up the next year.

https://www.spin.com/2014/05/did-vin...urgence-sales/

[Beobloke]

I often get the feeling that those back in the day who so readily adopted CD, and made it their music format of choice, did so not necessarily because of reasons pertaining to sound quality, but because to them it made more technical sense, backed up by the measurements it produced being more 'accurate', and therefore it appealed more to their objectivist mindset...

This may be true for some audiophiles, but I suspect the reason CD was so gratefully accepted by the general public was far simpler - convenience and ease of use!

[Macca]

This may be true for some audiophiles, but I suspect the reason CD was so gratefully accepted by the general public was far simpler - convenience and ease of use!

And the cd player in their Amstrad midi system was a lot better than the crappy plastic turntable sat on top of it.

Even today after 20 years of internet there's a lot of serious enthusiasts who have no idea about the technical aspects of anything and no desire to learn. So there's no way that back in 1983 that technical knowledge was a driver of CD sales.

IIRC a CD was £12 and a vinyl LP was a fiver in 1983, and the cheapest CD player cost more than a Rega Planar 3. Only rich people could afford to get involved. If you look at the sales figures CD only started to take off in 1985. Before that the vast majority of album sales were on cassette tape. Nobody was buying cassettes for their technical superiority!

[struth]

Tomorrow's World presented by Kieran Prendiville was partly responsible; he was shown scraping and scratching a Bee Gees CD to demonstrate its resilience.
Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms was the first million seller cd and not Quarterflash by was. convenience and it being the latest tech were probably the main reasons for it taking off

[Marco]

This may be true for some audiophiles, but I suspect the reason CD was so gratefully accepted by the general public was far simpler - convenience and ease of use!

Absolutely, but I'm not talking about the general public.

One thing I've learned, on forums especially, is that there are a lot of measurement-obsessed, scientifically minded 'audiophiles' out there, who would no sooner admit that vinyl sounded better (to them) than CD, simply because the latter 'measured better', than they would to secretly fancying their grandmother!

The fatal mistake they make is in *always* assuming that the reason they might prefer the sound of vinyl, is because they're being seduced by its 'euphonic' sound, rather than considering the notion that the more 'ruthlessly revealing' sound of CD isn't necessarily more accurate, but simply succeeds in ruthlessly revealing the sonic shortcomings of digital!

The wider point worth acknowledging from your statement, however, is that those who value convenience and ease of use, more than quality (with anything), rarely get to enjoy the best things in life.....

Marco.

[Pharos]

I think we all at times can see aspects of ourselves as plonkerish; how many of use live with a constant internal criticism and self loathing I wonder.

Valid points made about cultural differences between America and here, and his overall demeanour is something which I have inadvertently interpreted in the light of, what was, once at least, our cultural preference for humility, but I cannot remember any evidence of Framer's hard work.

Yes, the paper specs of CD probably inspired enthusiasm.

To be scientific is to take into account all of reality, not to be selectively inattentive to the inconvenient.

[walpurgis]

Tomorrow's World presented by Kieran Prendiville was partly responsible; he was shown scraping and scratching a Bee Gees CD

Can't say I'd blame anybody for doing that.

[struth]

Can't say I'd blame anybody for doing that.

Thats just the jive talkin'