An afternoon with high-end tonearm designer Frank Schröder

[@thanospapadimitropoulos9521]

The most down-to-earth and honest interview from someone that knows what he's doing. Kudos.

[@obscurazone]

What a gem of an interview! Trust a German for no BS straight down the line analysis. Refreshing to hear myths busted in such simple yet beautifully philosophical terms. Great stuff!

[@jimshaw899]

I find this to be absolute gospel. Without bragging, I have been around music performance and reproduction as an avocation for over 60 years, and I have an electrical engineering diploma with the mathematics that entails. He knows far more than I, but it all falls nicely into place as truth. The best part is his choice of words to describe his opinions. He knows and he conveys. Bravo.

[@brucegelman5582]

Excellent interview...Pardon the pun but this is the most neutral interview I have heard in a long time.No bloviated highly opinionated shite like what Fremer doles out.Partly because he isn't American he isn't consumed by good better best itis.The biggest fallacy in high end is opinions on turntables.An utter crapshoot.No showroom in 50 years of being in this hobby had ever made a serious attempt at A/B comparisons.So in reality nobody has a clue about what's really better than anything else besides price point.Great interview.I would buy his tonearm based on his intellect.As good a reason as any I say.

[@Bellyflops2]

He expresses himself better in his second language then most do in their first.

[@Marco-717]

Lol than most do. Try again

[@soulshinobi]

What an incredibly intelligent interviewee, would like to see more of Schröder.

[@chuckheinze7]

He is so practical and logical in his approach in describing what he looks for in the complete system sound.

[@jeffstockton534]

I've watched this 3 times. I'll watch it again when I get the feeling I need to buy something.

[@wprimrose]

John, you should do a follow up video with Frank at his office/shop. Would be fascinating to see Frank in his element.

[@alandonoghue5415]

Frank is just great! I learned more in 22 minutes about hifi than I have in the last 22 years. More of Frank please! Thanks!

[@512bb]

I had no idea that you did this interview which was a terrific surprise. I'm reasonably sure there are plenty of your viewers that don't know who Frank Schroder is but this man is a legend & probably the most gifted tonearm designer in audio. There are many nice arms to consider but Frank is truly in a league of his own. Thanks for terrific interview.

[@512bb]

I was thinking the very same as you. The big take away of this most valuable interview should be the acknowledgement of Frank's rare gift of wisdom which is a very rare comodity these days.

[@astroporpoise7802]

His critical thinking skills are on full display here... the way he questions, explores all possibilities, concentrates on what's important, and refrains from bias or hyperbole can teach us a lot about decision making and uncovering truth...let alone putting together an audio system haha. Fantastic interview! I definitely hope to see (and hear music from) his Alto tonearm in the future.

[@tomasbutenas9638]

Fantastic, thank you! More in-depth videos with Mr Schröder, please

[@rickewilde]

Thank you. Enjoy your music, your way. Find what best works for you and how you like to hear your music.

[@Gren4te]

Yes. This guy. Yes. He just exactly told us all how he listens for quality. “Do I like it” and “Does this trigger memories”. The biggest problem I have with music is that it is always different than how it was live. As a drummer I actually notice this everytime with hi-hats. Go to a store that sells cymbals and ask them if they can let you listen to a hi-hat. It will not sound anything like you hear on recordings due to compression, gates, echo, reverb. You name it. It mostly will be a high tick metallic sound on a recording no matter what medium. And there is where he has a very good point. It will never be the same as live. So to tackle this hi-hat thing I actually bought hats that sound like a recorded one (with compression and low-cut filter applied). 😂

[@stephenjames3098]

Fantastic interview! I especially love the part when he said the best cartridges in the world are the moving magnet Audio Technica AT-95 and the moving coil Denon 103. The AT-95 cost is $50 and the Denon 103 costs $350. Two of the cheapest cartridges available for their types. Certainly he isn't saying that these are the two best sounding cartridges in the world regardless of price, but factoring in the price and performance, these are the greatest, in his opinion.

[@jamesarthur9539]

Does he own a Rega Planar 3 system ???

[@stevec3537]

and then he said... "if you have a more expensive cartridge, that admittedly sounds better..."

[@latzelsperger]

it is very uplifting to hear such an obviously highly intelligent and well-educated man talk.

[@NickP333]

Amazing video! I love Frank’s insight and detailed answers. Thank you very much, John and Frank!

[@saphiregin]

One of the best HiFi audio presentations/interviews/presentations I have ever heard. Period. I listen purely to CD's & SACD's & recently TIDAL.

[@marcoboursier1958]

Brilliant. He nails the specificity of vinyl: turntable-tonearm-cartridge combo (+phono amp). you know when you get there: it's magic ;-) But requires, time, patience (and some money as well).

A real honest down to earth interview. I am shocked by the direct hi-end myth busting. This man deserves a Medal of Honor. Very very very rare in the hi-end world. Regards from Finland.👍👍👍

[@dirko2000]

This is one of the best interview on the topic on youtube

[@brianrowland9993]

A refreshingly honest commentary on what high end audio is about and most importantly the inevitable challenges we face with reproduction. A great interplay of understated objectivity, subjectivity and humour! Thanks for a great educational interview with a Master!

[@glenncurry3041]

One of the best and most worthwhile videos I've watched in a while. Thanks! But I do know why cutting a digitial file onto vinyl helps. It becomes a mechanical filter. The biggest problem in digital playback right now. Output filtering. Once transfered to a physical medium, the waveform has to follow analog rules. That can not currently be duplicated digitially or even with analog filters.

[@HiViNywschannel]

Dear Glenn, you have spoken and explained this so well :-D !!! Thank you my friend. Warmest Regards.

[@Kbaum752]

At first I thought why would I watch a 23 min video on turntables. What a great interview. Entertaining and informative. Oooh love my old thorens TD 160.

[@HiViNywschannel]

Dear Alan from Toronto, Canada!!! Great to see you!! Lovely interview here arranged by John :-D... May you have fun with your BEAUTIFUL and solid Heybrook TT2 and your Thorens TD160!!!

[@vinylrulesok8470]

Glad to hear that dozing off when listening isn't something unique to me !!! That's when I know that my system is on song, it sends me into a trance. Excellent and interesting interview.

[@grahamserle7930]

The bottom line is that we all have varying takes on what sounds good to our ears. We all buy according to our means and provided that you have half a clue to begin with, your purchase will continue to sound great until you experience something better. At the end of the day, the biggest difference with all audio formats is the quality of the source material, digital or otherwise.

[@TRPD]

Right on their money, what a great interview. This guy has the truth at hand.

[@jont39]

The wisdom of Solomon: "have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit" ecclesiastes 1:14. You are all pretensious prats, I love this guy.

[@ks4545]

Relatively new to your channel and really like what I've watched so far. This particular gentleman and this video was outstanding. Really spot on.

[@keithfox251]

great interview with one of the most straight up gents in the business!!!

[@Lasse3]

I was a die-hard digital guy who bought exotic high-end DAC's for my digital system. Today the DAC is stashed away, and vinyl is the name of the game, it simply sounds better to me.

[@dollhausenx]

What a cool guy! Love his thoughts. Amazing to hear sometime talk about Zorn. Wow. That is super cool. I put a big down payment on a tonearm of his about...20 years ago? A long time. A bunch of reviews said it was great and things went slowly. Slow enough that the store went out of business before the tonearm ever came. I loved the simplicity of what he was doing with his arms. Nice to hear his ideas as well. I spent most of my formative years working in record stores and had tons of records and had no idea of hi-end audio. Once I got better equipment I thought so many of the ideas people had were utterly crack-addled. To me it seemed like people were listening to their systems and not music. Totally boring dogma, indeed! Thanks Frank!

[@daleromney6062]

This was great. I would really enjoy taking this guy out for a coffee just to listen to him and ask a few questions.

[@florinsgondea6124]

I realy apreciate your aproach to this very complex, also very personal subject. I am 70 years old and I am a music enthusiast living in US for the past 39 years. I was born in Romania and began lestening to music in the 60 s: Beatles, Rolling Stones, John McLaughlin, Weather Report, Jimi Hendrix, Yes, Genesis, King Kromson, Kansas, Bill Bruford, Pink Floid and of course Led Zeppelin. The reason I mentioned all these groups is because I like the way they sound. Personaly I like LPs sound better,compare to CDs. I feel that LPs have a 3 dimensional sound perception compare to a flat digital sound on CDs. I will make some statements so you will understand my dilema chosing the right stereo system for a 11' X 11' size room: Turn table, preamp (or not), amplifier, bookshelf speakers, cables and room accoustic. There are so many unknown variables ( combinig different components )according to one's personal perseption of a "good" sytem listening to music. I totaly agree with you that this process is a trial and error listening to different combination of the stereo components. Than you again for a very insightful conversation.

[@bmill7353]

Great inteview and a very intelligent man. I only differ with him on vinyl re-issues. Most aren't better than the original. Some are, for example 45rpm in the best cases. And most first issue vinyl I bought in the 70s & early 80s has ridiculously poor quality control so to assume that the original is always best is a fallacy.

[@stevebirmingham9650]

very good ideas well presented a man with a brain who can express his ideas and concepts regarding audio hifi, straight talking no bull shit need more people like frank

[@iluvsweaterpuppets9166]

Cant thank you enough for this interview. Frank understands that the most important thing in any setup is the music.

[@thegeton]

Sweet. At 13:35 Frank lets you know that underneath his Captain Tonearm day job, he's more like you and me than any of us might think.

[@tonyharrison2542]

What a wonderful interview, but it ended way to soon. Please, please line up a part 2 with Mr. Schroder. It was brilliant.

[@der94alex]

"[...] your mood will be severely affected in a negative way [...]" love it

[@cgirl111]

Smart comment in the interview - buy a decent system for casual listening and go to live symphonic concerts in a good venue. It's not cheap but it's cheaper than chasing "high end" audio thinking you will get the same thing.

[@martyxray5171]

Exactly what J Gordon Holt of Stereophile fame was saying 50 years ago!

[@coolmickey68]

I come back to watch this every couple of months

[@Skyshakerrrr]

I enjoy the talk with frank. He came across knowledgeable and honest.

[@doaxfan]

Great way of interviewing. So many tv people put themselves (or are put) in the shot as if they are as interesting as the person being interviewed. Well to all the tv people who think you are...you are not! This way gives us the chance to focus on the person giving the answers. A refreshing change. This style should be the norm.

[@TheOriginalDrastic]

A lot of wisdom in that interview.

[@DarkoAudio]

Agreed.

[@Inconceivable-Montoya]

Great interview, intelligent questions. Frank is a master.

[@shantanabhadas7963]

Terrific insights. Just by this interview I can "accurately" conclude that he is a master at designing tone arms.

[@michaelkoch63]

Very good video. I bought the exact same turntable three months ago, also in red and it's just fantastic. My respect for perfection. Sure there are better turntables out there, but in my opinion, for the money, this is the absolute best you can get. I'm happy every day when I listen to music in the evening.

[@pedrosousa4710]

Outstanding video. Realistic and knowledgeable discussion. So much truth, no snake oil. Congratulations.

[@EnriqSandoval]

Outstanding interview. Thank you.

[@macman5914]

Its rather refreshing how he won't play the what's the best game , personal choice and affordability are much closer to the truth . the ability to actually hear is a factor seldom discussed , The whole HIFI thing seems weighed down with oh so righteous boffins pontificating about all manner of gobbledegook , its a wonder they ever find time to actually listen to music , far better to appreciate what music can do to your mood and enjoy your tunes .

[@tonymoretti1756]

99% just talk, is my opinion. I think when they listen they will die at once.

[@miketurner6118]

awesome interview!! thanks

[@nephrodoc4120]

Great interview. But, I’m still wondering where I can buy that Kind of Blue original pressing for less than the cost of the reissue.

[@robertuskoppies444]

15:35min...."decapitated by your cleaning lady"....like my Sumiko Blue Point Special was once....excellent interview with a credible man....

[@nualpiga9035]

WoW !!! Outstanding interview !!!

[@benzo13]

Dang ! This guy is so 'accurate' in his descriptions!! GREAT VID!!!

[@ronilsonsoares4194]

Can someone release this interview on vinyl pls. Sounds a little bright on KZbin. Thank you very much

[@patrickthunnus]

Insightful and honest, zero snobbery 👏👏👏

[@nc3419]

Frank Schröder is to HiFi what Richard Feynman was to Physics..."The Frank Schröder lectures on HiFi".

[@sumitgenzyme]

Very honest interview. Nice job done

[@novisnick6928]

Outstanding interview ! I’ll definitely watch this several times. Im in the market of upgrading my Rega RP6 w Exact II feeding a McIntosh C220 into tube amps. The thing Ive learned that is most important is pairing the cartridge with the phono preamp and hearing the TT in my home. A few companies allow you to do such demos was the gear on display your setup or his Darko? Or just props?

[@eddiej6195]

Great interview, highly enjoyable, it ended too soon.

[@josvanzetten]

Verry usefull info, also thanks to mr. Schroder

[@nigelpearson6664]

AT95 and DL103. Exactly. I think UK Hi Fi Choice had AT95 as a low distortion reference. Sometimes we forget that an LP was made suitable for a domestic market and not High End Audio. The remarkable thing is hi fi can find more than was intended. For me that is being able to hear the room the musicians are in. Even early 78s can show this. Digital on LP seldom sounds better than CD to me except fewer digital timing errors. For example CD often is 48 to 44.1 kHz converted. No need for LP to do that. Using an inverse RIAA circuit ( Peter Walker version is easy. Rod Elliot site ) into phono can make CD sound a little like LP of digital. Benny Goodman knew these things, Pink Floyd also.

[@ianyates7742]

I like this guy no bs straight to the point, close but no cigar even for hi end hifi even if your pockets re a mile deep it’s a compromise

[@tonymoretti1756]

This man should know the answer to the question: Is it better to hear a bad performance on a good system or a good performance on a bad system.

[@scrambaba]

very interesting intvu- skeptical at first but ultimately very rewarding. Also good to hear that flea markets are a good source for used vinyl in Germany. Can’t wait for my next visit!

[@dertechniker8867]

I agree with Frank. I'm a Berliner as well and Berlin has a lot to offer for vinyl junkies.

[@JonathonDoig]

That was really interesting. Thank you 👌

[@mihir1997]

I love thiese talks you have with industry people. Its very interesting to see what people who design audio gear think of, well, audio gear. One critique, perhaps call it a request, is that I did not like the clip-stitch format. I much prefer the style you used in your most recent Schiit interview where we heard more or less the entire conversation. This series, at least from my point of view, is to give people who do not have access to the people that you do to hear their thoughts. hearing the whole conversation is a more interesting format for me. i suppose that would add to the length so there is a tradeoff there.

[@DismasM]

Great interview. Who is mentioned at 10:28 -- Stan Richert? I'm not familiar. And yes, my cleaning lady also killed my cartridge last year...

[@krairerksintavanuruk9360]

Frank mentioned Stan Ricker , great vinyl mastering engineer. www.analogplanet.com/content/rip-legendary-mastering-engineer-stan-ricker

[@petermartin9494]

Yes!!! Thanks for sharing this, a sane articulate person talks about hifi, rare indeed and truly wonderful.

[@billyboy67321]

This Guy talks a lot of sense no bull shit it’s what you like best and works best in your listening room 👌

[@emptywig]

Such a great interview!

[@jasonwrites9186]

Frank Schröder's amazing - captivating stuff. Thanks for this, John.

[@gersonyamada5366]

Gratitude 🙏🏻❤️🙏🏻

[@sandevsound]

Thank you Frank for being normal in this crazy industry.

[@anthonyxuereb792]

Always intriguing to listen to a knowledgeable person on a subject that you like and are interested in, every word counts and it comes down to this; you learn from it and are gratified to know that you agree on many things. The comment on how cheap vinyl is at flea markets, what about the second hand hi-fi components market?

[@thomasmeyer1915]

Very cool guy and a great interview.

[@andrew-xr1de]

Almost everything he said is what I have come to learn. My two cartridges are the at95e and the dennon 103, no others and no no no reissues unless I can not find an original, which 95% of the time I can. I can just about cancel my Sterophile mag.

[@MNMLSTN]

we need another interview with Frank!

[@davidrose9099]

Awesome! Thank you.

[@thomasedward2231]

This was awesome. The one thing about reissues - a good copy of Kind of Blue is bank. I’m not buying issues for “improvement” as much as a better chance at quality. He alluded to that and he also does reissue work. I was most fascinated about his view on digital to analogue - great question. Thank you so much for this. Also, and I asked this before lol, do you use a mat on your acrylic platter? Cheers!

[@rg1809]

I would love to hear his view on support. For example, I've been told that a Rega P3 can't support a Rega Ania cartridge. Really? So a top of the like mm sounds better than a MC on a P3? I'd like to hear his view and why he feels that way.

[@koosfockens1707]

Great interview. What's the speakers he's sitting next to? Looks a beautiful floor standing design but I'm not sure I recognise it...

[@bobsaffron8284]

Kii Three Audio (Bruno Putzeys design) I believe.

[@stucorbishley]

This is great! Would love to see more this kind of stuff!

[@slowpawstevet3676]

great video, much of what he says i already guessed from years of listening but i learned a lot from this gentleman (-:

[@JayJayYUP]

Thank goodness seeing someone of his caliber and profession having a quick word about the sonic qualities of cables.

[@hawkfumodee5364]

'It all depends on the implementation'. So true in so many areas of life.

[@munkienl1]

With all due respect to Mr. Schroeder. How about the phono preamp? A very important factor in the overall sound IMHO. And the record itself? Of course it should be really clean and in mint condition. But even then. Which pressing? Is it a real analog record or a digital (re)master? Mr. Schroeder is right about recordings being artificial, in a modern classical production there are about 500 digital edits. Multiple mics being mixed afterwards in Protools etc.

[@DarkoAudio]

Of course the phono pre-amp matters - and pressing quality - but our conversation was focussed very much on the turntable itself.

[@brucegelman5582]

Every part of the chain is important.Thats why this hobby is so maddening.Ten trillion combinations of gear all yielding different sonic attributes.

[@azza2575]

No old lady with candy and wrapping paper making noises next to you 😂😂 - classic

[@spacemissing]

Absolutely right, well considered, and completely free of BS.

[@phonatic]

Totally agree about quality problems with many re-issues, but I'd very much like to know from where he get's an original pressing of KOB for 'far less' (stated at 14:40) than a re-issue can be obtained for. Or did I misunderstand his use of the term 'original' as a synonym for a first pressing?

[@Ian-xy7xi]

Great video, really enjoyed - thanks for sharing.

[@christianreyes409]

I have a Rega 1 and been wanting to install a denon 103r mkii , just like yours , I hear further tweaks have to be made like counterweight to use the the denon cartridge. Going from MM cart to now wanting to use a MC cart , I have a parasound jc3 plus

[@chasevineland1508]

Frank is so “frank”. One of the best hifi discussions beyond tonearms. You can tell he’s passionate about it. I’m thinking of re-imagining my listening equipment. Thanks Darko and Frank. PS. I’m planning to upgrade my Magnepan’s to the 3.7i soon. I have a plethora of cone/cabinet speakers but have always had a set of Magnepan’s in the collection over the last 20 years. Nope I don’t work or promote for Magnepan.

[@gotham61]

I've never quite agreed with that comment about buying concert tickets instead of spending money on a system. I see an audio system as a type of time machine. No matter how hard I look, I can't find any upcoming concerts by Jimi Hendrix, Sviatoslav Richter, Charlie Parker, or The Doors. A good system can take you back there.

[@astroporpoise7802]

Yeah, there aren't many concert tickets today I'd spend top dollar for, and there's certainly no concert I'd rather go to than Nirvana Unplugged in NY. :( However, I think Schroder just meant, in general, if the listener's goal is to experience hearing music as accurate-to-the-venue as possible, then it must be in the venue. Hearing one's favorite music as accurately as possible is a separate question. Great list of music btw :)

[@kiweekeith]

What a wonderful interview, so Down to Earth, yet to the point …. Thanks for posting it …. Cheers from NZ

[@pegun]

Great interview as always John! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@cirenosnor5768]

...and totally feel him regarding a cartridge being decapitated by the cleaning lady. My brother bought me a DVD player years ago and put some of the small packing material cardboard underneath my tonearm’s cartridge. Of course sheared the cantilever clear off my $$$$$ Van Den Hul cartridge worth about 15 of those DVD players - lol