Who is Michael Fremers'

Read all the reviews you want. If you believe they help you, fine. I know they don't help me because I've learned that I don't make good decisions based on written input. I have most certainly take advice and input from people. I couldn't have assembled the first class system I have now without such input.

I have found that I make much better decisions after I have met, listened, and talked face to face with people while listening to the equipment in question. I've even had the pleasure of such an experience with Raul. Because there, in that space and time, I have the best input I'm ever going to get short of listening in my own system, in my own room.

For the record since some seem to think it matters. In the last 6 years since I've gone hi-end, this is what I've had in my system, in my own room, listening with my own ears. Doesn't include what equipment I've heard while traveling to demos around the country.

5 different turntables
7 different tonearms
5 different cartridges
5 different phono stages
5 different preamps
4 different amps
4, soon to be 5, different speaker systems

Obviously, this in no way makes me any kind of an expert. I'd never claim to have "the most golden ears". I'm sure it provides many folk with whatever ammunition they're looking for to point out my shortcomings. Well, have fun.

Speedy, you really are the pot calling the kettle black.

P.S. Ebalog, I've got cows in my back yard. Can't get much more rural than that. :)

I generally don't read reviews to determine what to buy, but that's because I'm happy with my system and I find my priorities quite a bit different than many others. I do find the writings of people who are experienced with componentry (particularly analog) that I may not have the ability to hear in my own ouse to be interesting and pleasurable. This might include formal reviews or even one-off posting from people that clearly do not have a large frame of reference. It's all good -- I just like to know where people are coming from to characterize them.

PS Dan_ed
I've got moose over here, not cows. :)

Darren / all - agree in spades

"The Dynavector XV-1s is a perfect example. Loved by most, but hated by a few. Is it the tonearm? Does the person have the right system? Can we trust the person's ears or listening bias? Maybe it was just bad luck "

I am a classic example of listening bias. I have owned the dyna XV1 for 6 years or so now, so call me an early adopter I guess. I went up the dyna line from XX-2, te kaitora to finally the XV-1 in 2001.

late 2005 it was well and truely time to trade in my worn XV-1. I upgraded to the "superior" XV-1s. kept it for 6mnths and never liked it as much as the XV-1. Ended up sideways swapping it with a friend who paid for the lower price XV-1. Luckily dynavector had enough parts to make another XV-1. back to being very happy and the XV-1 just looks cooler with its RED :)

To my ears and bias the XV-1 is the musically superior cartridge to the XV-1s. To me the XV-1s has more dtail and slightly better transparency at the extremnes and sounds closer to a Lyra for my liking. I value organic musicality and drive v transparency. There is no right or wrong, only personal preference.

Hows the denon 103r going. Killer cartridge!!

Shane,

I stopped listening to Vinyl these days. What??? Yes yes yes. Been busy w. a distraction where I don't want to pick up a stylus at the end of a record. How I love CD/SACD in those rare times.

Truth be told, I just love the SQ, ZYX combo. The Denon is just sitting. I don't want to recalibrate my arm for the Denon & take off the Jade. The Jade gets 40% playtime compared to 50% for the ZYX & 10% CD.

Once the new arm comes the Jade or ZYX will move around and then the Denon will get some playtime & maybe break in.

A funny note. As some of you know, I live abroad and don't get my Stereophile in hand until I travel to the US. I did not get to read the review of the Raven AC, but instead had a friend read it to me. As he was reading it he skipped over parts. He then mentioned that the Raven A/C was closed in on the treble. I started laughing. I was like, he must be using the Millenium Mat which gives a darker/warmer balance. Then I read the review myself a few weeks later. Basically, the review echoes my experience exactly. I have noticed this on a few occasions. That basically says it all. Is it an absolute? No. But it shows that the reader must question the review and read it carefully to understand what is often between the lines. For a reviewer to truly knock on a product it really must be bad. They can put someone out of business. They need to be even handed and diplomatic.