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October 23, 2006 - 1:20pm
#1
Michael Fremer - working for mbl or involved too much?
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Dear imispgh. Take a chill pill!!! You're jumping to ludicrous conclusions. Of course I'm on the take. I'm a reviewer. But I don't take from MBL. Yes, I was in that room plenty. Why? I loved the sound!!!! Yes, I told them how loud to play my demo discs. I tell the people in every room I visited how loud to play my discs. I'm on the take from Wilson, as many readers have suspected, but you didn't see me in their rooms much because they weren't getting as good sound because of the venues. Plus, I didn't want to make the graft and corruption too obvious. Arthur Salvatore already does that very well.
I didn't come to any conclusions and it's not keeping me up at night. just trying to figure out how this part of the business works. Personally I don't think you or anyone else should provide anything other than casual assistance. Do you think you went far enough to recuse yourself from reviewing them in the future. (Seems to me this is at least a notch above the appearance of a conflict).
Then again Sam reviews the hell out of Triangle (which I admit part of me likes because I own their products) and even visits the manufactures facility and dines with them. I would assume much of their conversation revolved around their speakers?
I think the support you gave mbl (or anyone else) and the amount of extra time Sam spent with the Triangle vendor is at least a touch over the edge.
Don't Stereophile's policies include not taking gifts (or products) of a certain value? not being paid for reviews and not reviewing or giving tips to vendors without a review or printed disclosure?
(By the way I really do appreciate your assistance. I started this thread because I have a thing for hypocricy and unsavory or unfair business practices. --- Did you give your time or offer to be co-opted by any struggling vendors who have excellent products? Maybe you do a lot of pro bono and I am not giving you adequate credit?)
I don't understand what I did that you object to, frankly. Hence my sarcastic post. Firstly, I was at RMAF on my dime. Stereophile didn't send me. I was there to promote my DVD and do those two seminars. So I was not there covering the show. I was there to have fun listening. I was in the MBL room twice as I recall it. Once at the beginning of the show. The second time was after I had visited another room and played that same CD and it sounded awful. Another reader wanting to hear how good the stuff on the CD (from the Caliburn) could sound, I immediately thought of the MBL room, which to me had been a sonic highlight. So off we went to listen. The guy loved what he heard and told me that the Billie Holiday cut from "The Sound of Jazz" was the best thing he'd heard at the show and an absolute highlight of the two days for him. For me, it was a way to show a reader a good time and have one myself in a room I knew sounded great. What in G_d's name did I do wrong?
Then I stand corrected. I thought I explained the limited info i had or that I could be wrong. (Plus - an this is embarassing - I did not pick up on the sarchasm which obviously lead to my response)
OK - I except the explanation. Having said that and obviously recognizing that I made assumptions - I don't think it was too much of a leap. And yes I should have talked to you directly. I was actually unable to find you after it came to me
(While I did not know you were there on your own I don't think - if what I ascerted where true - it would have mattered. You don't have your "own time" in that situation - it would be a conflict. Lastly - my assumption was based on a composite of the input - not any one thing. You did reviews on their products, you were there twice and for some time and it seemed you were being helpful to mbl as well. Again I accept your explanation - as such I was wrong.