Michael Fremer returns?

 News broke yesterday on a few audio forums that Mikey Fremer, the longtime contributor to Stereophile is returning to The Absolute Sound. Am not sure that was supposed to be announced but it seems to be out now and the cause of some discussion online. I am sure there are good reasons he is doing this (allegedly) but I can only say I will miss him. For me, the best part of Stereophile in recent years has been Mikey, Herb and Art (RIP). John Atkinson stepping aside might have been more damaging but he's still involved and the results remain solid, it's the best audio mag by a mile, in my view. I gave up on TAS a few years back as it seemed to be little more than endless show reports, special awards issues (which threw such a wide net that one might imagine not winning was more honorable), and way too much from a couple of old writers who seemed to dial it in. Mikey will give TAS a shot in the arm.

I won't take out a new subscription just for this but I will miss him. Michael Fremer brought so much energy to the vinyl world that you could hardly resist reading him. People complain about his claims, his somewhat brash style, and even his political jokes, which I could never understand. I mean you live in this country and watch what is happening and you don't think politics is f'd up? Give me lively, opinionated but ultimately music-loving audio reviewers anyday, especially if they are prepared to say to the ridiculing masses, 'hey, this actually sounds better so deal with it'.  

I won't be reading TAS unless I see it lying around in a bookstore (remember them?) but I certainly wish Mr. Fremer well and in the current media world, I am sure I'll still be hearing him.

"No reason to make record-playing any %4#k!@ harder than it has to be.“

 

Never a truer word, thank you Roy Hall.   Not built for tweakers, Roy's company, Music Hall just announced the introduction of a very interesting phono stage, the Analogue A3. Both MC and MM compatible, (60db gain and 100ohms impedance for MC, like it or lump it),  12AU7 tubes, small footprint (10"x7") and it comes with its own flight case so you can travel around with it presumably too, just in case (ahem) you spot a table that could use a little improvement. But seriously, this looks very interesting, and true to the Hall philosophy, it is priced reasonably (audiophile scale that is)  at $1200. Anytime I've heard Music Hall gear I've done a double-take at the value on offer so expectations for this one are high.  More info here

Sounds Grimm?

Grimm Audio introduces a new variant of the LS1 loudspeaker system: Nano Legs. Nano Legs  means an LS1 can be placed on top of a side table or dresser. This is an advantage in for instance small rooms where every square meter counts - the acoustic properties of the LS1 make it function great in large rooms as well as small rooms. 

The eye catcher of the LS1 Nano Legs edition is the ‘Acoustic Mat’ that sits on top of the foot plate.Eelco Grimm, Creative Director of Grimm Audio, explains: “When placing a loudspeaker on a hard surface such as a side table, reflections occur that color the sound. The Acoustic Mat absorbs the reflection and keeps the sound clean from this discoloration.” The Acoustic Mat comes in two sizes: standard and large. The picture shows the standard size. Eelco Grimm adds: “The LS1 with Nano legs is a development based upon a ‘special edition’ LS1 we designed for the Concertgebouw Amsterdam studio. Speakers in this small control room need to be placed on top of a bass trap and the ‘Nano Legs’ version facilitated that.” T

Little more yet on the Grimm site about this but if you are interested (they are priced at the same level as the regular LS, that is near 20k last time I looked)) start here:

Vladimir Lamm RIP

Sorry to learn that the talents and contributions of Vladimir Lamm will no long be with us. He death was widely announced this week though I understand he died on April 18th. Born in Ukraine, his products really were cherished by many music lovers and audiophiles. Lots of discussion and memorials online about the man and his designs, keep an eye on the Lamm site for further details.

International Jazz Day

Who knew? April 30th is officially International Jazz Day, as officially declared by the UNESCO after some prodding by the one and only Herbie Hancock. I don't know if you celebrated or even acknowledged it but here in Austin we had a wonderful event at the Long Center. Four area jazz societies (the Austin Jazz Society, the Women in Jazz, the Texas Jazz Society and the Austin Traditional Jazz Society -- I know, your thinking there must be a society for every jazz listener round here!) pulled this event together. Every act was enjoyable but two in particula, the Pamela Hart Quintet and the Austin Jazz Royals (with Ephraim Owens, Elias Haslanger and Andre Hayward) tore the roof off the place. Three hours of music, two stages, seamless transitions, and a backdrop view of downtown Austin made it a late Saturday afternoon to savor.

Look out for this next year, I hear a 2-day event might be in the offing....Austin is getting jazzed! For updates, keep an eye on this site Austin Jazz Society

Improving your $2k speaker the Danny Richie way

Always enjoy watching these though I know he gathers the ire of some. Seeing what's inside is not always a good clue as to how something sounds but it does raise some interesting questions.