Stephen Mejias

If I had perfect memory [God, I would love to have perfect memory!] and could type faster, I'd just transcribe the whole damn thing for you. But, alas, I don't. So, here, I've simply included a couple of the sassy bits, and I'll hope that you take the time to listen to the rest. What it is? It's a Real HT Info podcast — Episode 006 — featuring Michael Fremer.

Mikey and Marshall, the Real HT Info host, try to figure out why hi-fi continues to live on the fringe of consumer consciousness, while even your 80-year old grandma's got a hi-def plasma screen hanging on her bedroom wall.

Marshall introduces himself to Michael, saying, "I would like for high-end audio to be as ubiquitous as high-end video."

And they're off.

Marshall: What kills me is when I see people with their $300 iPods listening through the included headphones that are $5 earbuds, at best.

Michael Fremer: I agree, I agree.... I want the audio stores to have a "Bring Your MP3 Player in Today" day. Let them bring their MP3 players in and play it through a big stereo. It won't sound as good as a good digital source, but it'll still sound much better than they've ever heard. It'll blow kids minds. It's high-definition audio. That's what it is. They've seen high-definition video on their X-Box or whatever, but they've never heard hi-fi. They've never heard it! And when they hear it, it's like, "Holy shit! I didn't even know this was possible." And then they want it. Why wouldn't you want it? People want better everything. Better food, better clothing, better cars, better everything. Except for sound. It gets shittier and shittier every year....

Marshall: I think you're right that maybe some of it has been slighted by the whole, um, "geek mentality."

Michael Fremer: It absolutely has. It's what's happened. I'll tell you, the one thing that's happened above all else: The computer geeks have taken over writing about consumer electronics in magazines and newspapers, and the computer geeks are all about little plastic speakers next to the computer. They're not about an audio system. And that's a really bad thing that's happened. I'm on the war path against that. I'm fighting the good fight against that. I'm at war with Dave Pogue right now, who's a dick. Plain and simple.

***

The rest of the interview is just as fun. The guys discuss high-end audio, music formats, the record industry, budget systems, and the Home Entertainment Show.