Michael Fremer leaves Analog Planet

I encountered him at one of the exhibit rooms at Axpona 2019. I watched as he took video of what to me was an unexciting turntable set-up and narrating his thoughts for his video which most of have seen him do-he found something of interest anyway. I had just purchased my most expensive-at that time-cartridge from someone associated with the VdH room, a Crimson XGW Strad. So with it in hand, as soon as he began to walk away I could not resist asking him what he thought of my new cartridge. He said in a very friendly hyper-manner (he is definitely a Type A personality), "my only problem with VdH cartridges is that every model sounds different from the rest, you never know what you are going to get with a new design". He then moved on hurriedly to another room.

I tell this story because I think after following him for many years and having had email exchanges with him that it pretty much captures who he is-quirky, energetic, frank, and polarizing. Watch this salute to him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZUd07Sfg4U Go to the 18 minute mark. where the second thing he said was, "I have news for you folks, all these years I have really hated vinyl". Almost nobody laughed and it only got more painful from there. Very awkward which again describes him.

The aspect of MF that turns me off the most is two-fold; a) he has a tendency to repeat as gospel engineering principles that someone else told him without really understanding it, and b) whether accurate or not, rumor has it that he takes more advantage of being comped gear from manufacturers than is accepted at Stereophile.

I had an email exchange with him years ago in which he told me of his dislike of VPI tonearms (they were all aluminum tube unipivots at the time). He mentioned that he had shared his feelings with Harry Weisfeld. I replied by asking why he didn’t share this opinion with his readers. Never heard from him again. 

The most arrogant and overrated reviewer I've ever read. His reviews were always vague and super generic. I could never understand why they give so much importance to him. There are other reviewers whose analyzes are much more accurate and enlightening.

I’m not sure who I can trust anymore.....

don't cryyy.... just trust your ears, you don’t need heroes, gurus and Hamelin pied piper to entrust your dreams to in this hobby

Fremer's reviews are for the most part academic; who can afford the products he focuses on?! But he also keeps those interested in LP's abreast of developments in the art and science of phono-related products, some of them even affordable. From Fremer I have learned of many products no one else has brought to my attention, including LP maintenance products and tone arm & turntable accessories. And then there is all his writings on the subject of cartridge design, impedance loading, and cartridge alignment, azimuth, SRA, etc. matters. There is none of us who can't be faulted in one way or another, but geez, give credit where credit is due.

Fremer has a massive record collection, and has been instrumental in getting some long out-of-print and very expensive LP's repressed. Chad Kassem of Analogue Productions has a close relationship with Mike, as do some turntable/tonearm/cartridge designers and manufacturers (beginning with Harry Weisfeld of VPI).

Fremer's departure from Stereophile may be a fatal one for the old girl, I fear (of course, I thought the same when J. Gordon Hold and Dick Olsher left ;-). I hope his new endeavors prove sustainable. Wouldn't it be great if he put The Tracking Angle back into print production?!