Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs-A Short Incomplete History Part 1
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- With all of the "brou-ha-ha" surrounding Mobile Fidelity's admission that it's "Gain II Ultra-Analog" mastering chain includes a heretofore undisclosed digital link, TrackingAngle thought a short incomplete history of Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs might provide some context. Part 2 will deal with the not very funny "brou-ha-ha"
Digital does sound great. Analog purists are just wrong about that.
Thanks Massy, for the head's up on Mikey's new channel.
I got that Waiting for Columbus for $25 last month because it had what looked like an awful gouge on one side. At was hardly even audible! The rest is NM!
YAWN
I never owned a MFSL vinyl pressing of Pink Floyd "Dark Side Of The Moon", but I DID own the MFSL CD. I can tell you is that I was not impressed. The volume it was mastered at was too low. You had to crank up the volume on the stereo in order to hear it, and it wasn't because of the lack of compression, as there weren't many peaks to speak of, except on the track "Time" when you hear all the clocks going off at the same time. THAT is the loudest the CD ever gets. The 2003 remaster was much better without "walling up" the sound. Eventually I sold it and was able to make a couple of bucks profit on the sale, but it didn't go that fast.
👍👍😎✌️🤟
This is a great overview, and I'm glad you got the chance to do some mini reviews of the older LPs. Many people pan the old titles in a blanket fashion as being badly EQ'd, in some cases I think that's true, but many of those records sound great! I agree with you, I think the two best catalogs modern mofi has done, has been Elvis Costello and Miles Davis.
and Dylan .....
@@mazzysmusic Yep, Highway 61 is out of this world
Beck's Sea Change is one of my favorite albums, period, and the MoFi is spectacular. I have a few of the earlier MoFi classical issues (Rite of Spring - Muti, Elgar Falstaff - Boult) which I think are great.There's also a very unusual triple LP of film music conducted by the great (but lesser-known) film composer Roy Budd - he actually paid for the sessions himself (and lost quite a bit of money in the process). Also very partial to the MoFi Herrmann records (though the new remasterings in the Herrmann/Decca CD box set gives even original pressings a run for their money! )
@@poetryonplastic I think I might prefer the recent Japanese reissues. I can’t get any info on what tapes were used and if it’s digital, but pressed at the new Sony plant. A lot cheaper than the mofi and sound great
I did not understand why the MFSL box should be so strongly avoided. What is wrong with it except of the white modern sleeves? By the way, it is pretty much clear reason for what they has done. The Beatles UK LP covers were designed using pictures of the group with too much retouch to it. As a result they had never been a real piece of art. So why bother keeping them?
I have a quite a few mofi records that all have great sound and that I enjoy. I will continue to enjoy these records. Mofi however are finished.
Please get Kevin’s cut of Marvin Gaye, I’d love to see a video with your thoughts.
Geez, Michael-why didn’t you insist that King of America be cut at 45 rpm over 2 sides along with Get Happy!! Kidding, of course-but KOA has some seriously long album sides as well, and while the MFSL is no doubt the best sounding version of my personal favorite EC album, it’s a missed opportunity.
Mike- you're at your best in this type of video. Your passion and years of experience comes through. You are one of the elder statesmen of the vinyl scene at this point and you're looking and sounding really dignified here. love the stories. Great video, keep it up.
Mikey, have followed all your previous endeavors for years and will continue to do so as I enjoy and respect your views and opinions. However, I agree with Krogg in a previous comment, please stop with the continuing defensive plays on negativity.
You have fallen into a bad habit of getting very preoccupied with all of this, and it is not a recent development. It spoils your videos and detracts from your message.
ditto! and thanks for the great content michael.
If you saw my inbox, never mind what's here from "Chris" you'd better understand. I agree it detracts but being called "fraud", "crook", etc. is really never pleasant. I do my best to be an honest broker of facts. I buy all the gear in my system and get accused of getting it free and it really is annoying as you can imagine.....
Best comment on this channel! No one likes a grumpy old man.
@@trackingangle929 Understandable. No one likes fingerpointing. They don't know you. I don't know you. Keep up the good work and ignore all comments. Mine included.
@@trackingangle929 Michael, this is the nature of the Internet. Sadly. I personally don’t feel you deserve to be accused of any suspicious activities. You’ve always been very entertaining and have the best stories.
You will NEVER not have detractors. But you have us. And we outnumber the a-holes.
Continue putting your best foot forward and we will continue to listen and read.
Very interesting, although I would say the whining about being criticized in every video that I've watched (admittedly only 3) might get old if it continues.
It already did
Put yourself in his position. Constantly having your integrity called into question would probably get old too.
@@gonzaljevic Well of course no one's forcing you to watch. But read the comment above from "Chris" who tells me I've lost the plot in my own life in part because he wrongly believes I get all of the costly audio gear I have here for free. How would you react over time to get lies about yourself thrown in your face? Things like "you are a crook", "you are corrupt" etc. I really don't care if people disagree with my opinions but the other stuff is something else and over time it can get to you....
@@trackingangle929 Funny how you throw in "audio equipment I have here" How about audio equipment you've acquired over the years?
@@trackingangle929 there are so many positive comments here and these people are not getting a reply while you're wasting your time with haters. I can only imagine how it feels but just let it go and save your precious time for those who care. Haters gonna hate... Thank you for all your reviews, videos and for so many things I've learned from you.
All this stuff about mobile Fidelity is giving me a headache😦 I pretty much have had enough I'm just going to my local record store or eBay or Amazon and I'm just buying records and if I get a really good quality sound I'll be thankful for it, but I'm through with hunting down the best sounding pressing in fact I actually started buying CDs again because it's so cheap and some of them sounds so wonderful✌
"ULTRA ANALOG" made me laugh - they might as well have put "TURBO ANALOG" as if there are degrees of analog. Completely meaningless - it either is or it isn't. Reminds of shampoo ads: New Ultra Pro-Bio Hydrodermalodic Pro-Active, improves the appearance of baldness (does 'improve' mean it makes you look less or more bald?).
It's all marketing bullshit, and everyone knows it....
The Beatles In Mono vinyl box set 2014 got a digital treatment as they mentioned in leaflet for Please Please Me. Thus, this is not an analog mastering at all. Don't be fooled by the name. All the vinyl purists have been exposed as a bunch of...
That’s not true. You are spreading shit here. The 2014 box had 1(!) digital treatment track: the 45 mono version og Love Me Do on Mono Masters. Read the PPM leaflet: It states that the master tape was in bad shape so they copied it to a new analog tape.
@@HARALDEMANN It's not AAA. Nobody has been doing AAA for many years. All files are taken from DSD digital copies. No one will exploit the tape master again for you. It doesn't matter what they write on the fence. They need to sell these bloody records and rip you off. Giles wants to eat.
@@debessar95 You’re totally wrong on all accounts. And you are making extreme claims. What’s your source for it? Because it was well DOCUMENTED in 2014 that the box was 99% analog. And the new box has the mono vinyl in AAA as stated in the book. And you are a Giles Martin basher, I see. Hard to take serious.
@@HARALDEMANN It's not AAA. Nobody has been doing AAA for many years. All files are taken from DSD digital copies. No one will exploit the tape master again for you. It doesn't matter what they write on the fence. They need to sell these bloody records and rip you off. Giles wants to eat.
As a make up for their abuse of transparency they should put out Beck’s Sea Change again.
This is the best suggestion I've heard in the midst of all of this.. in fact this is the one record I would buy with the words DSD imprinted on Beck's forehead.
Well put. The very term "ULTRA Analog" implies....what exactly? ANALOG, that's what! And that's what everyone expected. I *did* find the term a bit funny to begin with, but.....all illusions are soon shattered.
There is no definition to “ultra analog”. It’s a marketing term.
MoFi should change their name to "Mobile INfidelity Sound Lab"
Thank you Michael. Enjoyed this immensely. Looking forward to meeting you next week in Seattle. Don't embarrass me ;-)
lol. how would I do that? Accuse you of getting promo records?
@@trackingangle929 my very first promo album was from the Warner Brothers rep in San Francisco when I just started my first record store job in 1973: Grateful Dead Bears Choice. My second was the US Vertigo of Kraftwerk’s Autobahn ✌🏼
When you pulled that Nuggets album out.. every record you show us has a history to it... well...who can do that? To me as a record buyer since 1980... you are the guy i like to listen to... your records tell a story... a great story. Thx!
MOFI was deceitful, end of story. Re: Elvis Costello and some of the more exciting stuff they did around that time, it was too early in the vinyl revival for those releases to do as well as they might do today (pre DSD sourcing announcement).
The market for vinyl is very different now, and especially audiophile vinyl than it was 10+ years ago. IMHO that's even more of a reason for MOFI to cut the B.S. and be truthful about how each release was sourced and cut.
Of course MOFI is happy to charge extortionate prices for Elvis Costello releases they have as warehouse backstock. Wonder how many they can sell at those prices now after MOFI-digi-gate???!!!
In the Mike (InGroove) video, the MoFi engineers stated that they were making digital Lps even in 2008... as they stated that the first Abraxas of 2008 was DSD sourced....
I think it would be much easier for them to list the 100% analog records they have made... it may be a very short list.
The thing I found hilarious was that in his follow up video Mike talked about all of the 'stuff' they have around including prototype Beatles boxes, and basically the entire physical history. You'd think they'd have meticulous mastering records. I was once at Rudy Van Gelder's and a guy took out the logs and read off every artist that recorded that particular day through the many years the studio was open.
I understand that folks like their vinyl systems and have invested a lot, but I would rather have the DSD file made from the analog tape than to have these records. It would be closer to the source and potentially sound better...
Not to upset anyone here, but that is my sincere feeling. I spent double on my vinyl setup than my digital setup but it is still unable to compete with the digital setup. Wish MoFi could offer the DSD files for those of use that don't have top of the line vinyl playback systems.
Sincerity is good! However i still prefer vinyl to SACDs. I'll come over and set up your turntable....
Bud, i like watching you, but you saying receiving free albums, getting to test insane rigs, etc............ does not influence your opinion. Is like saying campaign contributions don't affect politicians or Supreme court justices.......... we are human. Just part of being a Great Ape! Best to maybe do some introspection and see just how much maybe they have influenced you. Mushroom trip would be nice...🤘😎🤘 anyways Keep'em Spinning bud and keep the vids coming.
Michael
Congratulations on your new channel. Looking forward to it.
You don’t have to defend yourself on promo records.
You don’t have to defend yourself on anything
I really thought the MoFi Elvis Costello releases didn’t have any air.
They sounded analog - no shimmer on the cymbals, closed in presentation
The UK originals are very lively
They should because how they handled the initial MoFi news was awful. They sent a rude and dismissive tweet and never properly acknowledged it afterwards or apologized. This video is supposed to be that acknowledgement but it isn't. They're playing it off as if they did nothing wrong.
Hi Michael. Very good video.
However I can see MoFi debacle on this. They know there customers. Many many of who have long memories of 1980,s cd sound and have never let go of it. Even now all digital is labeled as digital. All digital is bad. How does mofi explain to a customer with this mindset that 24/88,24,96,24/192 are not dsd 256. They are not all the same. To my ears from downloads from hdtt even dsd 128 has a market improvement over dsd 64(sacd). To my ears all hi rez below dsd 64 is inferior. The discussion always revolves around hi frequencies and specs and not sound. To my ears dsd captures harmonics better. Overtones and warmth like analogue does. How do the specifications explain that. Dsd has bloom and stage height that pcm that is available to the public does not capture.
In a title like Thriller, We should be greatful for the digital transfer. Dsd 256 has given the world a non destructive way to distribute this wonderful album of music to as many people willing to buy in superb resolution. That is a wonderful thing. We audio files sometime forget the practicalities of life obsessing for the ultimate. These master tapes are aging. Dsd 256 is currently the only way to avoid wear on the tape, but still capture the sound in supreme resolution. The vinyl touting audiophile needs to keep up with technology advancements and forget about the 1980, cd. Even those have gotten much better. The analogue obsessed music lover forced mofi into this situation. Imho. Did they lie about it? Yes, but I personally understand why.
Ive been DYING (only slight exaggeration) to hear a MOFI Waiting for Columbus for a long while now... so gonna take ya to task here just a lil, since I DO read your reviews ...
What you say here about the 2010 MFSL "green banner" Waiting for Columbus, is contrary to your 4/1/2011 AnalogPLanet review "Columbus Has Arrived." In that review words such as "perfect," "Silky smooth" etc are thrown about and the final line is: "This new Waiting For Columbus was well-worth the wait!" and as well, you give it a "sound score" of 10/10...
Now, in this here video, its "muddy" and "not very good."...
I suppose the AP review is from 4/1.. .so April fools?
Do appreciate all you do, and know youre a real mensch but I just want facts too and of course the best sounding records I can get (errrr afford).
Did I really write that?????????? I'm going to have to return to both versions and figure out from where I got the idea the newer one didn't sound all that good. When I play the album I play the original MoFi.....
I actually have the UHQR of “Dark Side Of The Moon”, which I bought at Boo Boo Records in San Luis Obispo for (I think, $29.88 - the tag is faded) while I was in college. I’ve never played it. It’s still sealed, which I know is a little insane.
You want to sell it?
Thanks, I have the Sgt. Peppers, not the DSOTM , UHQRs , hahaha. Started buying MoFi 80 's and still today regardless of constrovery but not exclusively. Aloha, great video ,,,,
Remember hearing the Trains
On the big Dunleavy Speakers?
I think I hear the wife calling
You
I had some of the early mobile fidelty and the one UhQR Beatlers - I didnt like that lp so much either but the mofi Little Feat were great . I knw already then as young man that tapes ages - some within in a couple year , some brands more .Iassume the digitallisation are nessesary to preserve the sound from analog -the early you do that the better. But Im conserned about why nobody talks atout the record companies getting rid of all tapes when digitallsate their whole catalog - Bound to have happened with some labels maybe all labels
Mike have listened to MofoFi’s Billy Joel’s Songs in the Attic 45 rpm pressing? It’s my 1st Mofi purchase
Katy lied steely Dan MOFI sounds like mp3. Too warm...the Japanese CD makes my ears happier with the Brightness it lacked. ...Floyd dark side of the moon UHQR limited 5000 pressings MFQR 1 -017 ..1981 before the digital age...is a must have before we go 6 feet under...
I have an 80's Capitol pressing of DSOTM with capitol rainbow labels but side 1 is the Quad mix and side 2 is the regular mix as it should be. To be honest i really like the quad mix on side 1 ,perhaps after hearing the regular mix for so, so long both at home, in the car, and on the radio it will become common place after decades of listening to the same mix. i could certainly tell there were differences when i first heard that side 1 long ago. I have never seen to many in the wild or anywhere else really, i'ld like to know how many were pressed by mistake that way. there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of reference material out there on it, unless i just haven't looked hard enough.. i enjoy having this error pressing in my collection. does anyone have much info on it? there's not much stated about it even on discogs.
Great video, Michael! Do you have any insight on how Mo Fi selects albums to reissue, then and now? Thx in advance!
Jerry Spinger is a Vinyl expert, too?
All Jews look alike
@@trackingangle929 Is Fremer Jewish?
@@jn3750 He is.Though he looks Afro-American
😂😂😂😂
Supposedly an executive at mofi was shit talking you to another youtuber during a phone interview. They really hold grudges and don't act professional at all. Shows how little respect they have for a major reviewer(or any audiophile), especially when combined with their lying to you that thriller was coming from a copy of a tape. That's the thing, they're not vinyl enthusiasts like Chad at AP, they're slimy immoral corporate jerks.
Here's the video. About halfway through he mentions the executive and you. ua-cam.com/video/0jdtz6Lr-kY/v-deo.html
We've had our ups and downs over the years, but what can you do? I"ve like some of their titles and not liked others. I don't give everything a great review.
Sounds like Fremmer’s a little sensitive his credibility is rekt as the Vinyl myth has finally come to an end. I don’t see anyone trying to argue vhs videos looks better than Blu-ray. It’s fun collecting vinyl but let’s be real here
Michael keep doing you buddy, love your knowledge and enthusiasm. Ignore the little bitches please
Everyone can go be upset about current MoFi events. I'll be here just enjoying my collection as usual.
I've been watching videos of people getting their knickers in a twist about this mofi 'scandal' all evening. This video is no good, his opinions are far too even-handed, it's no fun at all!
Great overview on MoFi history. Curious to hear how the SRV comparison goes.
Promo records and demos all part of the busimess.envy jealousy or wot.differents rules for traders than punters.
Are you aware of the lacquer shortages in the vinyl industry and impossible turnaround times associated to showcase new artists ?
In the beginning, I collected cassette tapes to learn how to play certain songs by ear (before learning to read charts and use fake-books). Great albums on worn out cassettes turned into CDs. Great CDs turned into MoFi, DCC, and other's 'Gold'-CDs'. Those same albums over the decades turned into SACD's, including classical and opera (thanks, Esoteric). The vinyl collecting was a coincidental result of doing business with companies like 'Acoustic Sounds', Music Direct', and 'The Elusive Disc'. I became an investor losing the motivation to play like John Coltrane or Herbie Hancock. I'll never play as well as Martha Argerich or Janos Starker, but I appreciate being exposed to them by the audiophile companies like MoFi and Acoustic Sounds. Nowadays, I have to curtail my vinyl box-set spending because I need to pay for my new 'Rhodes mk8'. Hopefully, no one will release Steely Dan's "Aja" before then. Mr. Fremmer, keep up the great work. Cheers.
Who is this band, “Do I Have to Say”? You have a bunch of their records but I have never heard of them.
The Vinyl Community says that the best ones were done in Australia.
MoFi said in the interview that their 2008 Abraxas was a digital, so I don't trust anything after 2008 to be purely analog.
Very nice vid. Thanks. With no intent to dismiss legitimate concerns about the “marketing” of recent mofis…. Even if mofi cut “all analog” it’s entirely possible one may still prefer a different version. For example take the SRV example of the gunshot. That likely is nothing to do with the DSD transfer and all to do with the mastering choices. I for one much prefer the AP 2x45 of Folk Singer over the OneStep, I can’t articulate why but there’s something “damp” about the onestep and yeah, I consider that a miss. I like you, would very much like to be able to compare all analog versions of the miles stuff (which is why I got into these “high end” records in the first place. But I have a sneaky suspicion I might like them because of the choices made by Kevin Gray or whomever would do them. In one of the follow ups from the mofi debacle, it’s mentioned that KW a at mofi is choosing to diverge from the thriller originals compression. That could be a master stroke or a COMPLETE disaster. If Bruce Sweden and BG made choices back in 82 (after the initial tests were rejected by the producers) I’m here to say those were probably the right choices. It’s not like that record is being put on 45 (which it really should be).
Michael you should not take offense of everyone that is not with you on everything. (so please no monty python 5 year old impressions, that stuff gets really annoying)
What I have learned throughout the years is that the internet is not the place where truth travels fast. The opposite is actually true.
The bigger truth is that, we can not take anything and say it is 100% like this and that, and that is what fuels the conflict. (lack of stable data)
Because everything has to be PC to have a financial backbone that support the structure. (so no full transparancy 24/7 actually makes you too vulnerable to attack, so yes sometimes they have to hide there hand to make things work out)
Also we have to understand that the new generation of people on the internet, is not about finding the true source/truth of anything or doing stuff properly. It is a place of where we get part truths that are out of context, and a hobby where most people use HiFi to escape life + so business can go forward. So don't feel offended about everything, just let go of it. The people that follow you generally believe that you are right. (so fell proud of that and validated)
You also have to understand that on youtube there are clans of people that are in this and that camp of thought. Again it has nothing to do with truth, that is just how the game goes.
If people were into 100% truth then channels like Real world audio would be #1 on top of the list, instead of all the feel good stuff that validates most people in the world/opening the most doors opportunities. (again people want entertainment/tricks/smart things to play with and they yearn for conflict which is the main driver of interaction, not truth because truth involves 1000% more work)
Being popular and having everyone love you, means that you have to sell your soul and convince yourself that everything is pretty much the same, that is actually what is happening a lot nowadays when you are looking at the really popular channels. (so again I want you to feel validated for NOT having so many subscribers and so many people fighting you, because when you are so close to the truth then you get a lot of resistance)
UA-cam is about interaction, vague talk about right and wrong without the intention of reaching an agreement. It is like the current War situation i Ukraine, conflict handling from a distance where 2 children can act out until ressources have been depleted so that the leader in Russia is not scrutinized for neglecting his own people, and that is what a lot of people prefer to buy time/get respect/fuel the conflict. Because if you take that conflict away and solve the problem, it actually reduces the interaction.
So be happy and take some magnesium/nmn and relax and try to take an approach that is based more on admiration instead of other people being wrong. That will make the right crowd gravitate more towards this positive flow. Trust me, you don't want to b#tch about everything so you only get people from ASR on to your comment section that are all riling you up, who are only there to disprove stuff. Hope that helps and thanks for the good info you have provided as always. Peace.
Can't help going bitchy mood....what with being fired/ let go by Stereophile.. And now moving to The Absolute Sound....Mofi...probably never let him review ( Get free) copies....Signed A music lover...whom seeks to best possible gear( within my limited budget...over 60 and living on SSD)....Not everyone can puck down $$$ on records to be Called "Audiophile
@@fatold50 I resigned from Stereophile. They hardly fired me! Clearly James you know zilch about me if you think i haven't reviewed MoFi records. I started doing that before you were born. I got plenty of free Mo-Fis and gave many bad reviews and many good reviews. Promo records have been part of the business since the dawn of the LP at least. Please grow up.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge, very much appreciated.
Michael. Do You like Oliver Nelson ?
Dear Michael Fremer, I'm a 24y old music lover from switzerland and i can tell you this - its always about hype. What happened in the fitness industry with all the hipsters trying to sell and rip-off newcomers to the industry, will also happen to all the hipsters that make hate comments under your channel/videos - they try so hard to have a voice in the industry and they want to make themselfs more important than they are (but they will always disappear after a certain time). So if you read again that someone is accusing you for getting promo records, then you know its just a jealous person that wants to be in your position. Thanks for making your own channel (again) where you say your honest thoughts.
Little Feat ,I have the MSFL of the 1st album and Sailing Shoes that came around 07 08 ,I think they are good but I don't have a Warner Bros issue to compare it to.. I was thinking that the Live album probably was the best on the Warner pressing and then you said it...Warner records always had a great quality sound ..I have a couple of Jesse Colin Young albums on Warner and I don't think MSFL can improve on it either because they are that good..
I completely disagree on the original Miles pressings, at least on Nefertiti. I have the same original and I think it sounds excellent. Just my humble opinion!
your opinion is as valid as anyone's
The first MFSL LPs I bought were the classical releases of the 500 series. Some of them were good, some were very good. But the pressing quality (Japanese super vinyl) was always excellent, no clicks, pops and other noises at all, which set them really apart from most of the standard LPs in these days. A pity that they stopped re-releasing classical music when they resumed LP production in 1994.
You should do a mobile fidelity factory tour 😁 I wish they or music direct would open a distribution centre in the uk or somewhere in Europe the price to get shipped to the UK is getting as dear as the record itself, worth it though dire straits sound fantastic just got brothers in arms last Tuesday and have still to clean and play it 😀 we've been having freaky hot weather here in usually constantly raining Scotland and don't want to take the chance with the vinyl in extreme heat 😀 anyway great video and please stay safe 😀
I’m a big fan of Mike Esposito.
Great first phase of your Mobile Fidelity history Michael - what should also be highlighted is that now we know that MoFi actually either captured the Master Tapes used for their 'One Steps' either by use of a Studer Tape copy or 4XDSD digital copy which means their lacquer cutting source was 2nd Generation and adds a further 'step' - they should all now be accurately named 'Two Steps'....I suspect that the more wealthy audiophile vinyl collectors in the world are considering a class action lawsuit against MoFi on this basis of them mis-selling and mis-representing their products - I think they'll have a pretty strong case.....
Hi! I thought that I heard on their video that they use the studer and then transfer to DSD file which means 2 additional steps. I could be be wrong as Im not native english speaker.
You must be joking.
@@andresypaolaguzman202 They say if the release is for their vinyl, a Studer Tape copy of the OMT is made and for their SACDs they copy it digitally at 4XDSD (so potentially they do both at the same time if the title has both format releases - which be where you might have been confused )
Why react so defensively? You certainly don't need to justify yourself to anyone. You are the vinyl hero! 😁
i'll send you my inbox. True plenty of compliments but when you get called a "crook" and "corrupt" it's ......
ok, so you can hear 96kHz, 24 bit artifacts, but no surface noise on vinyl and hissing on tapes? LOL Yeah, like vinyl and tape does not distort the original audio material....
What does your DAC do.............. distort sound... dum dum
The record Store I worked in in Queens called Records spectacular we had an inside and actually had a 18 wheeler full of the white album a week before it was even released, you could say it was hot off the presses. I still have my LP out of that batch, back then I got paid in records.
29-minutes and not a single ad. Fantastic
We have OD’ed on MO FI ! Please give us a break! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
I made that video July 22nd....so please give me a break! Thank you.
I'm sorry but the British 1st pressing of DSOTM has never been bettered
You probably are correct but I've only got an early one not a 1st press
Just wait until the MOFI "Cassette Scandal" breaks.... If thoses hubs could talk!
I definitely agree about the Little Feat mofis. I was lucky to find a nearly mint copy (still in original outer sleeve with hype sticker and all inserts included) of the earlier Waiting For Columbus for a paltry $40 and it sounds fantastic. But I was incredibly disappointed in my newer MOFI copy of Dixie Chicken.
Love you talking
I love that! The stories behind and all about quality without religous beliving in analog. All the presented records from analog master tape are before or at 1980, and I know why. From there on mastering has been done digital at all major lables because of cost and no loss at copying. To reissue recordings of the 1950s, like the Miles Davis recordings, you will discover that analog tape is aging, the gear is aging, and playing tape for copying made it worse. To use high quality, remastered digital transfers for cutting the laquer is maybe the only possibility to get the quality expected today. Your opinion on this releases supports that assessment.
On the Carole King Tapestry from MoFi... The 1-step compared to the regular (both MoFi) sound completely different - not a 1-step vs regular difference but a completely different sound. And they are both recently pressed! Almost surely the regular version is from some older stamper mastered by a dog (NOT Nipper! He would have done a better job!). It is so disappointing.
Michael…Michael…please give up on the “I’m being tortured by people thinking I am corrupt taking industry promos and gifts” schtick - your reputation proceeds you - rise above it and keep on making it happen
you haven't seen my inbox! But you are right.
I enjoyed this history and am looking forward to the next part. Now on to what really matters... it is time to stop using the terms "analog and digital." It is time to just say "I prefer this mastering and pressing over this mastering and pressing." Truth be told, the mastering choices seem to matter the most in my opinion. Thanks!
Love NUGGETS!
Hey Michael! Great stuff here. Train recordings huh? The more you know. Very happy to see you up and running on the new channel. Very interested in seeing what you come up with as regards the "one step" process. We'll be tuning in! 😊👍
Michael. For all the rolls you speak of. You should know the vast majority respect you, and admire your knowledge, sense of humour and exceptional intellect.
Can you find those criticisms y’all are talking about? Maybe they’re on another video?
Looking forward to Part 2, thanks for showing us some of the history of Mobile Fidelity.
Mike, I have watched and read a lot of your stuff. I will say, you come off as a bit defensive here, and it's not great. For some of us who have NOT been around forever, and are trying to build a good-sounding collection at reasonable prices today, it's useful to have people that can call it as they see it. And a history of MoFi is an interesting topic. But there are times when folks who have been around can come off as overly judgmental, and I'd just ask you to be careful not to slip into that kind of negativity.
I tried my best to not come off that way but put yourself in my shoes: when the rumor started spreading that Mo-Fi was cutting from DSD I refused to post a video spreading what was a rumor. My inbox was filled with emails charging me with being a "sell-out and shill for Mo-Fi" for not spreading the rumor because I was "on the Mo-Fi free records gravy train". So yes, for trying to act responsibly I was called a shill. You'd get a bit defensive too I bet!
@@trackingangle929 I imagine I'd feel that way! I also feel like you do more damage to yourself/your reputation by responding so defensively. Again, I've been reading AnalogPlanet for more than a decade, and remember when you did a listening test with the tech blog Gizmodo to show what a good analog system could achieve. I mean, you're perfectly capable of making your own choices and I respect that. But as someone who's followed you for a long time, parts of the video made me cringe. I just think you'd do better focusing on what MOST of this video was about, looking at the history of Mo-Fi, what made them unique, and explaining what the current scandal is and why it matters. Anyway, I wish you well, but this was just the perspective of someone who's followed you for a while.
Not for sale.
Yes! He has been around since the beginning instead of us whippersnappers. And yes he “covered for them” unlike the rest of us! And even through he has a slew of ultraHiFI gear he couldn’t tell the difference when the discs became digitally source. He just didn’t want to hammer them on the issue. I can only wonder why?! Sadly my comment based in reality will upset Mikey!
Yet, you watched the whole video. 🤷🏾♂️
@@arize84 No, I didn't. However, I do subscribe to Michael Fremer and it's more than fair to say that Michael has difficulty discerning that he is not necessarily a consumer in the traditional sense. He is a decades-long reviewer of both vinyl and HiFi equipment. His resume speaks for itself and I can understand WHY he gets upset when his integrity has come into question. Only an idiot would think that Michael is not a bonafide journalist. Only an idiot would think his lifelong experience in this community can be usurped by someone who is just consuming products on generic gear. And a part of his story is that he stood on an island by himself, waving the flag for vinyl when it was absolutely counted as dead. But Mike can't have it both ways. And that's where Mike has lost the plot in his own life. He can't get all the latest and greatest gear for free to review and get records for free to review and not think some form of bias will creep in. He wants the everyday consumer (like myself) to empathize. It's not going to happen. My choices on where I spend my money in this space are bound by many different decisions including budget. Michael does not have those types of concerns. His access to gear and records is unparalleled. If he was confident in his standing in this community he wouldn't be bothered with every single comment that comes his way. But his confidence and now his schtick is of someone who is not sure of who he is on...UA-cam. He seemingly wants to go back to preUA-cam days when his reality didn't get immediately crisscrossed with perception. His last video with 45RPM Audiophile speaking of MoFi, "I'm sick of covering for them." Mike45 didn't stop Fremer to say what in the world are you implying. And that's because Mike45 is not a journalist. But anyone with a brain knows what Fremer was alluding to. Peace to you and everyone else. The tonality of internet comments gets misconstrued. I happen to dig Michael Fremer but he is on a whining streak about things he can't control.
You are the same clown who posted on TAS's site that I'm a "dimwit'. Yes. That's why Quincy Jones hired me as an expert witness in his suit against the estate of Michael Jackson and why I supervised the soundtrack to an Academy Award nominated (for sound) motion picture.Because I'm a "dimwit". Gotcha! So how could you possibly upset me? I didn't "hammer" Mo-FI based on a rumor. I waited until it was fact-based and we all thank Mike Esposito for finally getting that out of them, don't we? And then I hammered them. On AnalogPlanet I called out Mo-Fi for using copies of masters and not masters and I've given them as many bad as good reviews but how would you know that since you are a troll who never read AnalogPlanet?.And if you did read it you read the site without comprehension. Who else called them out for that? (Answer: no one). So after you post that lie, you add the "I can only wonder why?" innuendo, which is your pathetic way of saying "Because he gets promo records". You are pitiful.
@@ChrisGiarratano You do not know the plot in my life. What a presumptuous troll you are! I bought all of the gear in my system. I didn't get it free. I buy a lot of records. I get some promos too. Did you read my review of the "All Things Must Pass" box set? UMe sent me the second from the top box, the one just below the one where you get a piece of George's hair. I gave it a very bad review because it was not a good sounding set. I've given many Mo-Fi's bad reviews. You are a creep with bias.
@@trackingangle929 Michael, I can assure you I am not the same clown that called you a dimwit. Never did such a thing. However, you are making my point about getting predictably upset. It would behoove you to understand you're a public figure. You're not the cause of the controversy. No one is even implying that. I ask you kindly to go back and read what I wrote. I stand behind it. Your responses are embarrassing. Anyone can give MoFi a bad review but you (specifically you) recently said, "I'm sick of covering for them." In context to this controversy, that is a loaded statement. You can't comprehend that you are not just a consumer is mindboggling. I have videos of you comparing ungodly expensive speaker wires that were given to you for the very purpose of comparing them. I mean take a step back my brother. I'm actually a fan of your work.
I hope to hear that demo at Pacific Audio Fest
So basically you are getting sacd on vinyl technology. Let's face it, the original tapes from the great Rock era are mostly lost to time and poor maintenance. But it sounds like they use the originals when they can, otherwise they source a digital and tweak it.
It's fine if there is a digital link, just say it and don't charge an arm and leg for a supposed false narrative.
Excellent as always, thank you Michael!
Amazing collection. Thanks for such a detailed information.
Great video, I think we all agree MOFI records for the most part sound great and we at least we will now have transparency.
Your place looks like a music library in a radio station. I like audiophile record discs. In fact, I hoped that many albums would be mastered at half speed on to virgin vinyl, instead of massed produced vinyl. Does your place have a broadcast booth? Smile! 🙂
Look at all them records bub. And my wife thinks I have a lot!!! Hardee har har.
My MOFI Rubber Soul is a favorite in stereo.
Michael, thank you for great videos. I have a question that's unrelated to MoFi: do you like more challenging, some would say "experimental" electronic music? Stuff like Aphex twin, Autechre and similar. 45 RPM Michael for example loves stuff like that and talks often about those records. I was wondering if you listened to those records what your opinion on their sound quality is. Personally, I find them pretty amazing.
All the best.
Yes. I have plenty of that/those genres
@@trackingangle929 What do you think of the sound quality of those vinyl releases?
I bought the MoFi "Katy Lied" also. I feel it made the DBX processing on that recording sound even worse than on the "common" LP. Also bought half-speed AJA (around the same time) which I like a lot.
On these analog pressings that turned out to be party digital, they all apparently were Direct Stream Digital, a format I love, at 4 times the usual 2.8 Million oversample used on all Super audio CDs, so it is easily to argue that even a extremely experienced music lover, scholar and critic cold mistake bad analog for DSD. No one is saying this. Excellent video!
I am glad I watched this video because I was wondering what you are thinking about how the best DSD copy holds up vs. analog master copy. Please do the comparison if possible. Thanks for your dedication to attaining the highest fidelity possible.
You have to love how In Groove Mike stirred shit up enough to bring the vinyl/audio community to this point. He is probably watching this video and polishing his head saying "Yesss, yesss". LOL!! Just kidding Mike(s), I love the scrutiny the hobby is being put under solely for the love of the sound.
When Sgt Pepper's was re released and digitized the original producer who resides in Sydney was horrified at the fidelity losses in the recording
Michael, The JO's that give you any shit probably refer to their albums as vinyls.
I agree people who said bad things about you or pressings are just dumb I believe you I learned a lot from you thanks for doing this keeps me inspired maybe those people who talk about bad things should get a Crosley
Hi Michael. I don't have any issues with your opinions, but that shirt. Please don't wear horizontal stripes. You could look so much better. 😍
THIS MOFI BS: Mike, first off - out of ALL the sources i spend countless hours listening to,reading and watching ,the years have proven to me you have total integrity and i'm sick of the simpletons that don't realize that any promo you get is a small perk of the profession,as most professions(epsecially retail and sales) have in one form or another and i've NEVER thought in the slightest it effects your integrity and hope it never would. Secondly, people need to get off of their cancel culture/un-educated side taking asses and do a little research and learn that ALL natural sound IS analog and our hearing is naturally analog. When folks try to explain, or actually can't explain, that special musical magic sound we experience with vinyl, it's some of the little imperfections like certain distortions that create that magic-in my opinion. Some distortions can be positive and others negative to our human analog hearing. Let's all not forget that digital is 100% (processed and processing technology) that is ATTEMPTING to capture natural analog sound, just another reason why the analog chain is best for capturing analog sound-is this not clearly evident to people? In it's highest form and resolution i think it's been proven that some digital has reached a level where when done correctly and by the masters such as Bernie, Gray and others can inhance the analog chain when the original analog capture wasn't that great to begin with. to reiterate for the idiots, our hearing is naturally analog and the analog chain is capturing analog sound-it's a marriage. and as you have said many times-neither format is perfect as anything else in this world,but i personally want a total analog chain capturing analog sound and if the best forms of digital can help at this point in it's technilogical time-then great, as i think we all have conceded that when done the best it can be by the best mastering engineers. We all hear things slightly and sometimes greatly different from one another and it comes down to what appeals to the individuals personal taste. When cd's hit in the 80's it still blows my mind how fast people bought into the corporate marketing machine's bullshit of the ("perfect" crystal clear sound) line that was feed to them as i could quickly tell digital fatigue was a real issue with the format-but that's me. And look at today- the total corporate marketing machine(and including todays Algorithm) horseshit that controls so,so much of our everyday corporate marketing programmed lives-wake up people!! and lastly, the in-groove Mike meeting with MoFi was about as vague as it could have been in my opinion, although VERY minimally revealing, he's a retailer and i never seen really any hard-hitting "we'ld like to know" pressure that all of us consumers want and deserve based on Mofi's marketing lies, all the more reason a professional journalistic presence should have been involved instead of a single retailer that partly kissed thier asses and never pressed the questions when those gentlemen more or less just brushed the issue off over and over and over and did a great job with thier avoidence which i found very evident regardless of the small amount of info he could pry out of them while giving them a fan-boy handjob at the same time-lol, total bullshit... Sorry to be longwinded, but this is my opinion on the issue from just an everyday hard working American that loves music, will i ever have the means to have a system as nice as yours? no sir, but i am an audiophile never the less and happily spent 125 bucks for AP's UHQR of Miles' Kind of Blue for my collection and play on one of my Akia or Technics 70's era tables or my Realistic LAB-440 table(Nagaoka MP-110 cartridge) through an earlier Sony ES reciever into 80's era Polk Audio SDA 1A's, and all mostly used gear i searched out for and could afford over the years that appeals to my hearing tastes-nothing fancy but certainly better than entry level (marketed)junk from Crosly and even with my modest gear i can tell the differences and most others could experience as well if they only put a little effort and research into it -for their love for music, instead of just picking a side for todays sorry ass side picking sake, AND THAT'S the easiest bullshit to tell the difference between as far as i'm concerned. thanks as always for being the professional champion with true integrity Mike, it is appreciated, Jerry in Indiana
Good to Hear your insight of the History of Mo Fi Mike. Look forward to Part 2, its like books Don't Judge a Book by its Cover, close inspection required on the Record Sleeve Etc..& miss leading information, like much in History, check the sources