Tour Michael's Room in 4K

Recently shot video!

A videographer visited recently to produce this 4K room tour showing my current audio system, including some new products under review, and some records and accessories.

There's a similar room tour video shot years ago that's gotten 848,000 views. That sounds encouraging and most comments are positive but I think some people viewed it for the same reason they watch plane crash videos. Some of the comments express a variety of emotions including outrage at the cost of the equipment that they think might be better spent feeding the poor, or claiming that none of this makes a sonic difference (especially cables, which make a big difference) and some expressing various anti-semitic tropes and the like, or the usual "snake oil" comments, etc.

As with all of the videos on the TrackingAngle YouTube channel and on the ones posted to my previous YouTube channel, this one is unscripted and the shots were mostly single takes.

I hope you enjoy. If you comment that I look like either Jerry Springer or Lou Reed, I'm afraid I'll have to banish you from the website.

Comments

2023-02-22 07:17:49 PM

Alastair McClean wrote:

Great video Michael. Re.your visit to Brian Wilson, it’s good to know that Doctor/Patient confidentiality was alive and well back then🤣
2023-02-22 10:07:23 PM

Robert Vogelzang wrote:

Michael:

Congratulations on your success; it is richly deserved. Your gear is remarkable--if only some of us could experience the Chez Fremer listening room in person!
2023-02-22 10:36:05 PM

Silk Dome Mid wrote:

Fun video! Quite a setup. It's a good thing I'm not the jealous type. I especially enjoyed seeing that it's possible to build a state-of-the-art tonearm using an Erector Set.
2023-02-23 01:51:57 AM

Anton wrote:

Interesting trivia: Sony's upper end turntables in the late 1970s/early 1980's used a drive system very similar to that first turntable!

The Krebs mods for Technics motors are really slick.

Thank you for the tour, I found it very relaxing, for whatever reason!
- 2023-02-23 01:54:06 AM
  
  Anton wrote:
  
  Crud, I forgot to say how great it was to get to 'listen' to the system.
- 2023-02-23 10:18:03 PM
  
  Jonti wrote:
  
  I have one of those Sony decks, the TTS-800. It is a marvel of engineering and still functions perfectly today (essentially zero wow and flutter, but with a slightly more buoyant and musical nature than your typical DD). Clearly it wasn't destined for mass production, though, as Sony built only 3,000 units of the TTS-800 here in Japan.
  - 2023-02-24 09:02:21 PM
    
    Anton wrote:
    
    Fellow aficionado!
    
    Great ears hear alike!
    
    Cheers, man!
2023-02-23 05:25:32 AM

Fred Morris wrote:

Such a treat - thanks for this. Glad your new endeavors are going so well!
2023-02-23 10:14:43 AM

Jim sheedy wrote:

Loved the video. Really well produced, entertaining and engaging. I love seeing all that incredible high end gear and the technical information about it and your set up. 👍🏽
2023-02-23 11:00:42 AM

Robert Nakata wrote:

Nice coverage of this reference system. Thank you. FYI, the first UK pressing of Sticky Fingers also has TML in the matrix, but on both sides.
2023-02-23 05:22:10 PM

Zaphod wrote:

Enjoyed your video, well the parts I actually watched anyway. I have ADHD and tend to skip ahead when watching youtube videos.

It is easy to be critical about people and things in general but I prefer to be upbuilding.

You have built a wonderful audio system that no doubt has taken years to achieve. That to me is what this hobby is about.

I look forward to seeing more of your videos.
2023-02-23 05:45:23 PM

BSK wrote:

Excellent video. I wish I had 70k to purchase the Esoteric turntable. It looks amazing. I do not understand the hatred some folks have towards Wilson. I am a Wilson guy, I found once I heard the sound nothing else would do. I have had other brands, B&W, Totem, Magnepan, but I always come back to Wilson. I have heard the XVX's and I agree with you, I fell in love with them immediately, so I bought what I could afford, DAW's. Thanks for the video.
2023-02-23 09:45:05 PM

Sloan Lamb wrote:

Isn't a stator turning the platter a roundabout way of saying "direct drive"?
- 2023-02-25 02:22:19 AM
  
  Michael Fremer wrote:
  
  If you mean the OMA, the stator is locked down at the chassis bottom. The rotor spins and yes that’s a direct drive turntable.
  - 2023-02-26 06:34:26 AM
    
    Sloan Lamb wrote:
    
    No, the Esoteric Grandioso T1. Effectively the platter is the rotor, the induction system the stator (or the other way around, I did not quite follow), so yes the “motor” is not a separate unit, but it is still the equivalent of direct drive, I think.
2023-02-23 09:58:58 PM

Lyndon Bolshaw wrote:

Hi Mike, superb stories & the equipment phew, what sprang to mind was the Studio were 10cc recorded ( Strawberry Studios) I know there were so many Great recordings done Neil Sedaka recorded an Lp with 10cc producing /playing on. Tron, seems like yesterday, but 40 years ago it was talked about at school in the uk , never seen but look forward to re-visiting. Off to Bristol Hi Fi Show tomorrow so wetted my appetite.
2023-02-23 10:18:59 PM

Jonti wrote:

What a glorious sanctuary you have there, Mikey.
2023-02-24 04:03:21 AM

Kevin Jones wrote:

Michael just wanted to say thank you for sharing those fun stories along with the tour of your room. Just amazing what can be done with today’s manufacturing methods.
2023-02-24 10:17:36 PM

Steve Ericson wrote:

So the K3 is really worth roughly $100k more than the XD1. Damn! I suppose the actual dollar amounts aren't really pertinent here.
- 2023-02-25 02:24:39 AM
  
  Michael Fremer wrote:
  
  My choice is a long story! Maybe I should talk about it in a video….
  - 2023-02-25 03:02:12 AM
    
    Steve Ericson wrote:
    
    I would love to hear the story. You are the only way I will ever experience audio at this level.
2023-02-25 08:20:49 PM

Ida Wantnon wrote:

WOW, missed you from Stereophile, wondered where you went, glad I found you here. What a fantastic setup. Will you interview some of your old bosses on this site, like John Atkinson, I heard he made you popular at Stereophile, because he pushed management to allow you do do what you wanted...is that true. If so you owe much gratitude to Mr. Atkinson? Wonder why then did you leave there?
- 2023-02-26 04:45:32 AM
  
  Michael Fremer wrote:
  
  Yes, I owe John Atkinson a lot!
2023-02-26 03:18:45 PM

LaserRanger wrote:

I guess I'm unclear when you say that it "doesn't have a direct drive motor."

As far as I can tell, it IS a direct drive. It's the same principle developed by Technics for the SP-10 over 50 years ago.
2023-02-27 12:01:41 AM

Chris kyriakou wrote:

Hi Michael, what would be your top recommendation for a turntable mat?
- 2023-02-27 12:03:20 AM
  
  Chris kyriakou wrote:
  
  I have a Garrard 401
2023-02-28 07:40:55 PM

GP wrote:

The impressive HiFi system of an impressive person! Price prohibitive for most, but beautiful to look at - most likely also sonically awesome. Michael I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for many educational and entertaining (a rare combination) articles and videos on the subject of record playback: preserve your style and please keep up the good work! All the best from Germany, Guido (Grown up in a small town called "Nortorf", the former location of the well known TELDEC pressing plant).
2023-03-02 01:54:15 PM

oldlistener2222 wrote:

A great stereo system and amazing collection of music but why is the picture so dark ?
2023-03-06 04:27:33 PM

Darron R. Birgenheier wrote:

Your listening space is very impressive, not just for the gear, but the very "lived-in" feel of it all. I quite like the clutter and general aesthetic of it all. Very sterile, "classy" listening spaces turn me off, as I think I'd feel like a bump on a log in such a place. I prefer a space like yours that feels homey.