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4 days ago | 
trackingangle.com | Michael Fremer
hear from the gentlemen designing the productsOrtofon''s Leif Johanssen runs through the new MC-X moving coil cartridge line, explains the design goals and provides all of the details. At appx.
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1 week ago | 
theabsolutesound.com | Michael Fremer
What began as an analog whisper in 2004 at the High End Munich premier show exited with an exuberant, triumphant scream at the 2025 show finale. Vinyl was always relatively strong in Germany, even during the turn of the century “nadir years,” so it’s not as if record playing in 2004 was gasping for air, but compared to this show it was, though record vendors were in short supply this year. Why?
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1 week ago | 
trackingangle.com | Steve Genewick |Kevin Gray |Michael Fremer
live at Frank's studio to Studer A827 24 track, mixed at 30 IPS to 1/2" tape on Ampex ATR-100 Recording a big band album live to analog tape in the studio Frank Sinatra had Bill Putnam build for him when he started Reprise Records, then Western Recorders, now East/West, engineered by Steve Genewick--long time Al Schmitt associate (etc.)--and mixed to 1/2" tape at 30 IPS on an Ampex ATR-100 at The Village Studios and then lacquer cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from that tape two months...
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1 week ago | 
theabsolutesound.com | Michael Fremer
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1 week ago | 
trackingangle.com | Michael Fremer
Munich goes out with an analog bang!Wow! Analog went out with a big high tech bang at Munich High End 2025. This is my second show video covering analog news and it's far from the final one. Due to Euro dollar variations and a volatile tariff strewn world marketplace all prices here are approximate. The final Munich High End show—the capper to a 21 year run—was filled with new analog gear from an Airon TH1 American-made $36,000 unipivot air bearing pivoted tonearm...
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2 weeks ago | 
trackingangle.com | Michael Fremer
a clickbait imageWednesday night and last night (Wednesday May 21st and May 22nd), Maier Shadi's The Audio Salon, Santa Monica, hosted an event celebrating Acoustic Sounds' founder Chad Kassem, who was in town visiting record company executives, band management and others for obvious reasons. Kassem was coy about who he met and what recordings he was seeking for future Analogue Productions LPs, SACDs and R2R tapes, but he did say the trip, capped off by these two evenings, was successful.
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2 weeks ago | 
trackingangle.com | Michael Fremer
and listen to the speakers in binaural sound (wear headphones)Press conferences are generally off limits to consumers, so I thought I'd "invite" you to this one hosted for the press by Marten Audio the Swedish loudspeaker manufacturer—one of the few press conferences I managed to attend. Why? There was so much new and exciting analog gear to cover, I hardly had time for press conferences—I'm working on another all-analog gear video.
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2 weeks ago | 
trackingangle.com | Michael Fremer
so much great new analog gear at this show! Will take many videos to cover it all2025 was the final Munich High End show. The MOC convention center is going to be "re-purposed" or torn down so following 21 great years, the show next year will be moving to Vienna, Austria. Everything all of us did had that "this is the final time" feel about it that at times felt sad and at other times felt like relief. Instead of comfort, next year will be an adventure.
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3 weeks ago | 
trackingangle.com | Michael Fremer
not a review, but an overview/preview of future The Absolute Sound Review The Absolute Sound review of the Original Live Sovereign S turntable and Agile tonearm that I wrote will soon be published, but before publication, in the embedded video below you'll see what makes this turntable arm/combo special.
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3 weeks ago | 
trackingangle.com | Michael Fremer
next year it moves to ViennaThat's my plane and I'm flying out of Newark, not concerned about the problems. Life's too short, and flying out of Newark, it could be further shortened! Not worried. This should be a great show if AXPONA is any indication of the industry's vibrancy and I believe it was. Pre-show press releases are packed with interesting new products including a turntable from Soulution in which the platter moves and the arm is stationery.
