Michael Fremer's Cartridge Collection (some of it) Plus Cables & Digital
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- čas přidán 29. 04. 2023
- After the "room" video posted (now with more than 91,000 views!) viewers asked why I didn't show any cartridges, so here goes. You'll see close up, some of the phono cartridges I've bought and collected over the years, but not all of them. The X-quisite was out visiting a friend and the Audio Technica AT MC2022 was installed.
This was not the place to discuss specs, so it's more just an overview, not a technical overview.
The videographer got close to get the cartridges in focus and only afterwards did I notice I had a case of "Forrest Whitaker Droopy Eye Syndrome" ( a condition known as "ptosis"), which I do not have, but I did have bad allergies that day and was feeling ill-focused myself (the videographer kept everything well-focused) but as they say "the show must go on" and I didn't break any of the cartridges, though I had to handle them all in ways that are safer doing once installed on a tonearm! None broke.
There's also a cable discussion sure to infuriate the "cable deniers" and some time spent on my digital rig.
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Just want to say that Mike is the real deal. We are lucky to have you around Sir. I fired off a question to Michael on cartridges not actually expecting a reply and got a response in about a minute. I was flabbergasted. Michael took the time to help with advice in a friendly e-mail exchange back and forth and I tell everyone in audio how thankful I am to be the recipient of his wisdom.
I've had the exact same experience with Mike on more than one occasion. Thanks again Mike!
Same here! He’s awesome!
A video like this could be a bit dull by anyone else but the fantastic personal stories that Micheal weaves in makes it truly unique and a joy to watch.
Fremer does a quick and unexpected line of blow at 1:22. Great collection of cartridges Michael
Hahahaha I saw that and I started to feel a drain from the old days 😅😂
Hey @ChilledPint ! 👋🎶😊
"...so you can really inflame a lot of people" 😂😂😂
Always a joy spending time with you Michael. Thank you.
That hour just flew by! More of this please Mr Fremer!! ❤
Great video Michael I love all the different cartridges you have and all the different cables it always amazes me how different all these can sound I guess that's why we all love messing around with our hifi rigs.
Mike, I really enjoyed this video! Thank you for all that you do in support of our mutual passion, our love for superior analog music reproduction at home!
I've always felt that the people who reflexively say "snake oil" have cheap systems, or no system at all. They are just jealous trolls. I loved the Coke analogy. I couldn't agree more that analog still trumps digital. Thanks again, Michael!
Great video Michael. So much useful information. Thank you so much.
Thank you for sharing and discussion. Your channel always entertains, and Stay Cool !
Thanks Michael, always fun to hear you talk audio.
Hi Michael
You are definitely at the top of the analogue world and a joy to watch and learn from. I especially enjoy the fact you do not pander and speak truth to power. I thank you and your supportive spouse for bringing me joy on a monthly basis.
Wonderful discourse. I really enjoyed it. Thank you very much!
Thx for the passion and then sharing it, wonderful.
Michael thank you for all that you have done for vinyl. I recently saw you at Axpona during your turntable setup seminar. I had my 9 year old son with me and he got excited when I told him we were going to see a famous CZcamsr. I forgot to tell him that the CZcamsr was a 70 year old Jewish writer from New Jersey... Anyway you were very entertaining and kept both of our attention. And when we got home that evening he asked to listen to some records. It was awesome.
76. And not trombones!
Fremer at his best 🤩 always very educational and entertaining . Excellent video ! Regards from Sweden
Great Video Michael, loved it totally.
What a nerve racking video, you handle the cartridges so skillfully. :)
Spent an hour watching Mikey talk about cartridges and cables..felt like 10 mins.
Now that's a story teller!
Loved it! I do appreciate your experience, knowledge, and stories that illustrate our hobby of endless pursuit for musical enjoyment. Between you and me, you can say "at any rate" any time you want!
Great expertise! Thank you Mr Fremer
Wow, einen derartigen, stundenlangen und doch spannenden Monolog habe ich noch nie erlebt! Auch wenn die dargebotenen Dinge weit jenseits meiner finanziellen Möglichkeiten liegen, waren die Informationen doch sehr interessant! Vielen Dank!
i just love ur story telling its such an education to me .i thank u for spreading ur wisdom and tales its priceless thanku frm aussie land
Nice to hear your recommendation for the late Len Gregory (Cartridge Man). I knew Len but could never afford his cartridges. He did point me towards a Goldring 1042, which I use to this day. Len was actually working on restoring my Garrard 401 when he passed away. A greatly missed maverick in the land of audiophilia.
How much did I enjoy this video! I wish in Italy hi fi shops could let us rent cables!!
That was totally enjoyable ! Thanks !
Like always Michael, a great video
Michael, thank you so much for sharing your experience and encyclopedic knowledge!I am delighted, as are all subscribers.I don't listen to CDs that can be included for the background.I listen to his Majesty vinyl, his warmth, the depth of the stage.He absorbs me completely into his sound..It's a rite of passage for me...With gratitude from Russia.
Hello comrade
@@jasontimothywells9895 Hello!!)
@@jasontimothywells9895 I would like to know a cartridge call. A. d.c. I like mark .3 impover a.d.c. z.l.m., or station 881.s. or station 981. Like very much. And I like the audio creast. 8 rocket 88.😊
I applaud you for the amount of time it must have taken to put together this video. I also want to say that I was one who castigated you for the horrible audio in a recent video, glad to hear it's been fixed.
Super video Michael, very interesting and entertaining. There are too many 'wafflers' out there and you stand out from that crowd because of your knowledge and experience!
Great video! So pleased you talked about some Miyajima Lab cartridges. I have the Zero 0.7mil (used to have the 1mil) and it's an amazing true mono cartridge. It delivers lovely details out of the grooves of my original 50's and 60's jazz albums. Highly recommended.
As usual, I really enjoyed listening to your stories and ideas on all these aspects of audio reproduction. I happen to agree with all of them, from direct experience as well. And your descriptions and stories of all those phono carts were really enjoyable. Analog vinyl is still my reference point for quality reproduction. Thank you Michael for another great video.
Gorgeous carts Mr Fremer! And no, i never thought you were "on the take"! Your a good man, eventhough ive never met you! 😅 Im just good at reading people!
Mikey.... this was one of the best of your YTs. there are so many decent and understandable explanations and examples on the numerous subjects you covered. ferinstance...the Miyabi fathered round cartridge you showed, i have a Krell cartridge in the same form factor that i will be sending to Peter Lederman for a new stylus and possibly a new cantilever, depending on his recommendation. somehow i managed to align it but the stylus is worn so off it will go. anyway, i will probably refer many big-mouthed experts and also friends in need, to this video. thanks Mike.
...hifitommy, Ambassador at Large for the LA/OCAS. at least that's what i had put on my nametag.
You would think Shure would start making Cartridges again with the vinyl resurgence.Would love to see them come back from the dead!
That was the best 1 hour, 3 minutes, 11 seconds I've spent since I lost my virginity. Thanks Michael.
I wish I could have held out that long first time! Was over faster than a 45rpm single!
Loved seeing your cartridge collection, Michael. The, “You’re old and deaf with a shitty room” story. Not sure why some people are instant contrarians and even nasty about it. Cartridges can vary a lot in sound, and cables can make a difference. Not sure why there’s still a question of this.
I’ll refer to Herb Reichert’s quote again of something like, “We can hear most of what we’re able to measure, but can’t necessarily measure everything we can hear” Thanks again, Michael.
Thanks for a great video
Another great video from Mr Fremer! Best of luck in your future "endeavours" 😂
Agreed, we're in the second golden age of music availability.
Michael is a gentleman, he has replied to my emails in the past. BTW the Jico stylus for the Shure V15 MR is £359!
😂😂 I almost fall off out my chair when you present that first cartridge
Just added so much knowledge, not exhausted haha, just by following this video. As always Michael leaves you with new insights, with humor, also as always. Within my budget was able to get to a Nagaoka MP150 but found that on my Technics 1200, the old Technics 207 sounds better to my ears. Wishing at some point I wil be able to hear a 10k category cartridge so I could experience what must be a huge difference, who knows. Thank you, looking forward to more knowledge sharing.
I used to be a HiFi enthusiast for the past 50 years or so but i am okay now and well cured . Now i am simply just a music lover and have returned to listening to my lp records via vintage Quad pre amps / power amps and a Garrard 401 turntable housed in an SME 2000 plinth with an SME 3009 tone arm with a Shure V 15 mark 3 cartridge and Ortofon SPU Gold moving coil cartridge . It's a shame my Decca London Gold cartridge got damaged as it sounded sublime listening through my original Quad ESL speakers which i still use alongside my Tannoy Prestige Gold Reference Stirling loudspeakers . I use bog standard QED speaker cable and interconnects . I am more than happy with my lot these days. Does any one today seriously believe and hold true that all those original studio produced artificial , gimmicky , heavily processed 1960's Rolling Stones , Beatles , Pink Floyd LP's and all the rest of the recorded bands that followed well into the 1970's were / are a reference criteria for good sound quality ? 😉
Excellent video ! Just wish the camera would pan down to show all these gems in their glory :D
Dude you have an awesome collection..👍
Very cool, ty for sharing
This was fantastic
Mike - you'll probably never get all the credit you have coming to you - this, imo, is an awesome video and hey, ya never threw a single mud pie bringing it to us, hmmm, imagine that, cables and all! Back in your Boston days and my early memories of hearing maggies at Goodwins in Harvard Sq or the Time Windows at my dealer's in Brockton (both of which I purchased) there wasn't any of this hate stuff that seems to permeate YT - - I'll never get where that comes from - - - thank you for sharing your experiences and insights in your perfect, non confrontational way - btw, as CD's began to really dominate back then, and yeah, I had a reasonably decent player for the time (one of those Mod Squad offerings) I slowly lost interest, CD's, no matter how many I purchased, just didn't do it for me not to mention that it got harder and harder to find new records, all of those presses left as if they were junk, terrible - ultimately and even after I did one of Steve McCormack's upgrades I threw the player in a dumpster, true story - as for me personally, you deserve most, if not all for the credit for resurrecting my hobby - thank you.
I choked on my coffee at 1.22. Bravo Fremer!
This Shure was a great video. Tripping down memory lane :)
78s in this country were being phased out in 1958 , although 78s were still produced in India well into the 1960s where you could find beatles on a 78. The orange, red and brown carts are very good , they get used on my technics sl 1200g, i really love them , they perform well above their cost , thanks great video 😊.
You know the problem with your thoughts on cables and digital, you speak words of wisdom. And the know it all sheeple must be taking gas at this point...Yelp Michael, wisdom, a truly rare attribute in the human condition.
Great nerdy audiophile video........I don't get your love for Ortofon cartridges - and I'm Danish - but the rest is sheer brilliance........keep'em comming.
Ortofon makes some excellent sounding cartridges and very high tech too!
I love being an audiophile but can't stand all the screaming and yelling. Thanks for keeping us all grounded, Michael.
Thanks. During a recording session with a professional audio engineer(in Spanish), he describe that sound quality is only as good as the weakest link and that the weakest link is usually the cables.
So many cartridges! It seems that you should have them hooked to nearly as many turntables.
Your cable comments are correct, trust your ears. But what most folks don't realize is that everyone hears differently, and some can't hear well at all.
Mike's definitely a true vinyl and cartridge man. I think people do get him a little wrong at times. He's not just a high end turntable and cartridge enthusiast, he also rates much less expensive gear as well. He knows many people own great starter turntables like the Audio Technica LP60 and the later X version. He's heard them, he likes their fidelity and he's clearly said that. I'me sure he'll know all about cartridges like the ATN - 3600L moving magnets with conical stylus tips which cheaper turntables like this come with, but I think he'd probably favour the elliptical stylus upgrade on cheaper turntables like that. I myself have done that, great tracking with beautiful sound. Makes the LP60X sound closer to high end on the right sound system.
Great you have the money to get the so-called best and I can see how a super thick fancy cable helps you hear a difference glad you enjoy them since you are a nice guy who helps us audiophiles with all things analogue. I just personally do not have the coin for these and I do believe they make a difference but not always better just different. I am satisfied with my lowly Nordost cables and that is as far as I got. I purchased all of them for 800 bucks for a lowly working man like me that is a lot of money and my speakers are 40 grand Soundlabs that I bought for 8 with a Rel B1, not 360 grand ones but with my Joule Electra 160 watt otls seem to give me a lot of pleasure. My system is not cheap 85 grand bought it all for 21 grand which for me was crazy money and took me years to build it. I am now satisfied and will never upgrade this. I know never say never I have the virus lol. It was after years, that I got off the Ferris wheel of upgrades. Thank god I got off the ride in some cases I lost ground sometimes I gained ground regardless of price there is no best only what sounds good to you. I listened to many Wilsons, not my thing. I like what you would call beautiful sound smooth but the Soundlabs do detail like no other at least in my humble and limited experience. Dynamics could be better I suppose but no speaker is perfect what these do puts a smile on my face every time. I agree with your assessment and description of Vinyl my table is a lowly original VPI Scout with a Koetsu Rosewood low output 0.4 cart going into an Aesthetix IO original one 2 box phono amp with a Rothwell step up and sounds sublime to me. The amps are powered by a Classic valve design preamp from BC Canada with tube rectification and tube regulation with many other tubes based on an old 1950s schematic.
Great video! Only Fremer could make this topic interesting..
I have the Shure V-15V MR and I love it. Just recently got a replacement Jico stylus. Do you know what the difference is between the MR & xMR?
I was listening to Fleetwood Mac's " Rumours " Yesterday with a AT-VM95ML on my LINN K9 Cartridge & I think it's as good as I will get through my system.
A mate of mine brought the single core cable idea back from the UK in the mid 80's. He lived in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney and introduced the idea to the local HiFi Store, The Music Room run by Mathew Bond. Space and Time cable emerged from this and Martin got nothing. Silly boy. He was originally put on to the idea by Dennis Neil Moorcroft or DNM. The best preamplifier I've ever heard.
Etna erupting,....good choice of words!
@48:46 It certainly seems that Tara Labs called to say that they'd accidentally sent you the charging cables for the CEOs Tesla then Michael?....😉🤣
I have a V15-IV fitted with a Jico SAS with zirconia cantilever - it’s really, really good.
I bought a Shure V15 V-MR cartridge to go with my new Technics SL-1200 around 1987 at Myer Emco in Rockville MD - the tt cost me $400 and the cart was $125. My parents thought I was out of my mind. I still have both; I did a bunch of KAB upgrades to the tt and bought a Jico SAS stylus for $179 at the time; questioned myself about spending that. Anyway, I think the Jico stylus does sound better than the original; I consider the Shure my rock-n-roll cartridge because it sounds more lively to me with rock.
I have the Sure as well. I bought it ebay years ago. Myer Emco was a great store. They had a location on 18th street near Connecticut Ave. in DC. Learned a lot from that store. It moved to Wisconsin Ave. before they went out of business, but not before I bought my Sony ta e90es preamp. I don't think I've come across anyone who new about that store.
Great talk about catridges and cables,very informative,realy great story. No love for Koetsu!?
I'm going to humbly fact-check the great Michael Fremer - that Audio Technica at 4:34 is NOT the only MC cartridge with a removable stylus, the Satin M-117 is also in that league. Love you Mikey, don't shoot me :)
Great video with so many amazing carts. And your glasses are amazing. Who makes that frame??
Wow!!Another great video Michael!!! I do have a question, What do you think of Wooden head shells? I recently bought a wooden head shell, l lined it all up with my protractor everything looked good but the cart looked off center when I put it on over hang gage & looked directly at it? I then took my calipers measures the 2 slots from side to side & noticed there was a 0.0020 thousands difference from each side. The records sound great when I play them, & it all lined up good with my protractor. But is it ok that the cartridge is off Center? is my question Any help would be great Thanks...
Congrats Mike, what brand is the line cable for the dartzeel you've shown, looks like pretty big compared with mine. the original slim brownish type
I don’t spend nearly the amount on cables for the ones in this video. But I have tried various power, interconnect and speaker cables and the differences range from subtle to dramatic. The most dramatic difference was when I tried the Darwin Enlightenment interconnects. It was like super cleaning a dirty window. Luckily I can buy a couple of pairs at reduced prices thanks to my dealer and Darwin.
I have yet to try their speaker cables in my system. I did try an AQ speaker cable (about $750) and Wire World Mini Eclipse 8 and there was a distinct difference. I chose the Wire World.
Hi Michael, great cartridge archeology video. What cartridge is on your Pro-ject X8 right now? I have a Pro-ject 2Xperience SB also with the Carbon Evolution tonearm.
That was a reviewed turntable then returned…
Ive got a Lyra Kleos and absolutely love it. Atlas is out of my reach but I can only imagine a Lyra 3X $$$ of the Kleos
Paul Mc Gowan also loves Audioquest Dragon Cables
Micheal, great video! I've been tinkering in the audio hobby since those mono records you mention were commonly available in the record stores. Yes, I'm old. Hearing is not great anymore but you make do. You mention early in the video that the Grado moving iron cartridges can pick up hum from turntable motors. I am experiencing that with a Grado Sonata 2 cartridge on a VPI Scout II turntable. The outboard motor induces hum as you move the tone arm towards the record spindle. You mention in passing that there is a fix for this. Do you have a reference I can check out?
Thanks for your informative presentations and wry sense of humor.
Enjoyed it so much. I think the most important cable in an analogue rig is the tone-arm cable. Because it has to carry a minute signal. Please show us ur TA cables. What TA cables are suitable for MM & MC cartridges. Are there any particular cables for mono cartridges like miyajima zero?
Sorry to hear about Len Gregory; would you mind posting a link to the stylus gauge replacement battery you found because I also have one of the stylus gauges. I'm kinda surprised that your don't have Koetsu cartridges! Mind you, I'm a Lyra fan too, so I suspect that the Koetsus may be too lush for your tastes.
love you for many years, can you please tell me how low & the highest frequency that you can hear, thank you
@trackingangle Micheal no Denon carts?
What do you think of them? Especially the 103
Interesting video. Michael you mentioned an upcoming review of the Rega P6. Regas have a known hum issue which seems to be caused by shielding or lack thereof from the cartridge. I have a new P3 with an exact cartridge, as the arm gets closer to the spindle there is a hum that increases...inaudible wth music, however if table is on and you put the arm closer to the spindle the hum intensifies. What is unfortunate Rega provides no way to ground the table. I have tried via the rca cables to no avail. When you test the P6 could see if it suffers from the this and let your viewers/readers know? Thanks.
Enjoyed the cartridge and cable talk. Thanks Michael. I would like to hear your advice on a system that can get to 80% of your system? What would that be in terms of a table, cartridge, amp, speakers and cables of course? Then the same for a 90% system? I am a beginning audio hobbyist and there's a bunch of other stuff that I do that takes up my money, so I can't afford the Mike Fremer system, but maybe an 80% system? Thanks for any advice you can provide.
Good idea for a story
at my humble level I totally agree with what Michael F said about cables. I use coaxial 75 ohm canare cable lv61s (made for video signal). everytime I try other cables it feels like changing the sound or playing with eq. And when I plug back the canare in my system, it feels like putting everything back to zero.
I, would like to know the a.d.c. zLm
Or the mark 3 imp. A.d.c.. orl the station 881,s or 981.s or akg. 7. What are your thoughts i had the shure type 4 ,i did.t like it.?
Michael fremer is the best!
Such a great video. So inspiring. And as always a fun to listen.
But don't you have problems with the dampers of the older cartridges? Didn't they get hard?
Cheers
Stefan
I have found that many don't have a problem. Harry Pearson, who started The Absolute Sound, gave me an original Kiseki Blue in 1989. I had it around for decades and never used it. So I decided to sell it. I installed it and it sounded and tracked fine. I made a recording using it and sent the file to a prospective buyer and he was sold. Some of the older ones here haven't been played in a very long time...
@@trackingangle929 If you had to pick a favorite P-Mount cartridge / stylus pairing, what would it be?
I don't agree with everything Mr Fremer says but the video was entertaining at least 😆
Still using my V-15 type V with various aftermarket styli....
I liked your video, and special the end, it’s the best time to be hifi ❤
There is this. And there is Jay's Audio Lab. Good grief! This man is a walking encyclopedia. He is the ultimate professional. Some say that audio reviewing is a farce. Often it is. In Fremer's case, it approaches a science.
They were talking about Hi-Def Vinyl. What happened with that? Didnt you interview the Guy?
Hi Michael, sorry you have no Grace F9 cart , my grace has a rudy cantiliver and hyper Eliptical stylus. WOW!
Thanx for show
I wish you would talk about quadrophonic vinyl pressings
I wonder if there is a cart or stylus specifically for quadrophonic pressings
Great collection of carts 😊
That would be great. Am collecting some quad records. Several years ago an electronic music artist released a quad record and with it came a hardware adapter for quad. Missed her name.
@@kirmussaudio7578 I have deep purple - machine head in quadraphonic it says 33.3 rpm quadraphonic produced separate channels with an sq decoder used for suitable amp and 4 speakers reproduced as 2 channel stereo when played through std system
Wonder if this is accurate or simply marketing ploy catalogue # q4tpsa 7504
@Floyd Laza I'll try to investigate. I wonder if Mr. Fremer can shed some light. Quad audio was cool in the 70's with beautiful integrated receivers.
No ADCs(e.g. XLM 3)-a moving iron(?) cartridge?
👏👏
I had a similar weird experience
To your story ,this involves the passing
Of att dudley ,it was my birthday
And I got an urge to read
Some of his old teviews
And dug up some old strereophile issues
A short time later, I logged on to
Facebook do discover he passed
On that vary morning
Sure had a Blue & White colored cartridge in the 1980s that costed around $16.00 & believe it or not actually had a great sound to it.
A rugged little cartridge.
Lol
I just love they're not laboratory-clean. Of course, he's going to clean them before use but the point is that even MF's cartridges get dusty!