The Washington Post "Clickbait" Story Rebut
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- Опубліковано 4 сер 2022
- An 8/5 Washington Post story (www.washingtonpost.com/music/...) about the Mo-Fi debacle gets plenty right and some wrong, mostly in an attempt to stir up trouble between TrackingAngle editor Michael Fremer and In Groove record store owner Mike Esposito and to claim that listeners who say they hear digitally sourced vinyl do not really "hear digital". In fact, the story says about me: "...his own unnamed source told him the record store owner was wrong." That's an outright lie and it's not a word I lightly use. That statement misconstrues what my source told me and the context in which he said it. My source never said that "the record store owner was wrong". But that sets up nicely his further point:"It’s heightened a rift between Fremer and Esposito". This after I posted a video thanking Esposito for getting the facts out of Mo-Fi-a video the writer claims to have watched. This short video tells the honest story. And yes, I should have fully woken up before producing the video and I should have gotten further away from the camera but I chose sincerity over flattery.
I was hanging in there believing every word until the "I can tell digital from analog 90% of the time". Now I suspect everything said.
But usually I can when it’s PCM on titles where no source was ststed. And I did hear problems with many Mo-Fi titles and wrote about it. But I believed their basic assertion about cutting from analog so looked elsewhere for the cause of the problems. Some of the digitally sourced reissues sounded very good but could they have sounded better?
@@trackingangle929 That your simple belief clouded your hearing seems to indicate that 90% number is way high :D
Oh wow you can tell it’s digital when the source isn’t stated. when the source isn’t stated the probability is it’s digital because if it was all analog it would be used to hype it. So it’s an easy determination. You have like a 99% chance of being right. Just be honest and say you couldn’t hear it! “Oh I knew it but thought it was EQ!” I knew peoples would come out of the woodwork and say they always knew. If you did you would of questioned it like everything else you question. This whole situation shows how the audiophile is a dying age. I went to PacNW audio fest and if you look around at the attendance and what they quibble about in the rooms most will understand how outdated and ridiculous this hobby is and it’s hard to be a part of it.
Buy the pressing Yamamoto’s misty direct to disc and the dsd pressing and see if you can tell the difference. I guarantee you can’t.
Stop worrying about all analog and more of quality craftsmanship regardless of source chain.
@@trackingangle929 Maybe the "elsewhere" is in the rest of the mastering chain or the engineer's decisions regarding EQ? If I send you five albums to listen to, some 100% analog and others from a digital source, can you identify the analog ones more than 50% of the time? I'm asking because I spent thirty years making analog records in some of the best studios in the world and another twenty making digital records in those same studios. I can't make that claim and question whether anyone can. But I will leave that door open.
So the remaining 10% where he can't tell the difference are the Mo-Fi records :D LOL
Busted big time I'm afraid. You could join the circus with your new skill Michael. I'm sure they're always on the lookout for accomplished back peddlers.
Mobile Fidelity made a fool of all the "audiophiles" with "golden ears".
Not really but if that makes you happy go on believing that.
@@trackingangle929 obviously believing nonsense makes you unhappy. :)
A Snake Oil, niche industry geared towards borderline OCD hi-fi people who worry more about esoteric psycho-acoustic fantasms than actually just grooving to the music.
Here is what you said in your posts on the original Mike Esposito video. "spreading unfounded rumors is not responsible." "I have primary source proof that Mo-Fi cut from analog master tapes in 2018." " that’s not true. Period." "That's not true" means "you are wrong!" So The Washington Post was very accurate They said " He slammed Esposito for irresponsibly spreading rumors and said his own unnamed source told him the record store owner was wrong. "
Do you have a link to that quote please Scott?
@@jamesboyle8828 In the comments. ua-cam.com/video/CtJRis-Ba1Q/v-deo.html
Sorry Michael, but I don't think you can hear if a record is cut from from a digital source.
Now that the truth is out, the real story here is that even someone like Michael Fremer with his golden ears could not tell that previous Mofi releases were not all analogue. Kind of exposes the vinyl purist game for what it is- Varying technologies that end up on vinyl are increasingly indistinguishable to humans. Even expert humans. Doesn’t mean the vinyl hobby isn’t fun or worthwhile, but the mystique is gone.
Exactly! That's the real story here as far as I'm concerned.
What I am still having a very difficult time understanding, Michael, is that when you take into consideration your vast knowledge and expertise in this area, and the intimate, well-informed relationships that you have long enjoyed with the likes of MoFi, Music Direct, Acoustic Sounds and countless others, how on earth did you not know about this DSD nonsense YEARS ago? How did you not ask the questions that needed to be asked, and SHOULD have been asked, even as recently as 5 or 6 years ago, when all of this could have been revealed. How did this DSD revelation manage to slip under your radar, and out of your peripherals for all this time? THAT, I cannot understand. As a very well established and highly respected journalist within the industry, this is absolutely something that you should have come into contact with, and addressed when all the opportunities were there to address it. What kind of light are you able to shed in regards to why, or perhaps equally as important, HOW you never knew about any of this way before any Deep Throat source materialized to reveal it FOR everyone?
I did discover and reported in 2015 (see “Kind of Blue” review in my previous website AnalogPlanet) that when Mo-Fi cut Sony titles they worked with tape copies because Sony did not send masters to Sebastopol or anyplace other than to Sterling Sound and that they brought their reel to reel machine to New York and made copies. Did anyone else report this? Not that I know of. I’m ok with copies if carefully done because most of the great records from the original vinyl era were produced using cutting masters (copies) not original master tapes. But why do you think I or anyone should have suspected a company that seemed to make a fetish over sourcing and which went so far as to not use the “original master” banner on its “The Band” reissue because it wasn’t certain the tape it used was the actual master though with splices throughout it gave every indication of being the master would switch to using digital files??? I started hearing things I didn’t like at some point and wrote negative reviews of many (and positive reviews of some) but I never suspected nor thought to ask if they were cutting using digital files because it seemed like doing so and getting caught could destroy a business if it got caught doing that. When MoFi’s “Couldn’t Stand the Weather” was released I compared it to the 33 1/3,Analogue Productions version cut at Sterling using the actual master tape when Sony still allowed it to go there and the differences were fundamental. The One Step 45 sounded soft, diffuse and boring. I did the comparison for visitors and every one of them having bought into the “One Step”’hype (myself included because it seemed to make sense) could not believe how much better the 33 3 step sounded. But since I knew the One Step had been sourced from a copy and the AP from the original I figured that explained the difference. If you read my “Love and Theft” review I surmised it was cut using DSD because from what I knew (based on actual research not rumor), the individual tracks though recorded and mixed analog had never been assembled into a single side length tape. Couldn’t get a straight answer from Mo-Fi but in that case its version sounded so much better than the original vinyl clearly cut from probably a CD resolution file that who cared? There are times when cutting from hi res digital makes complete sense (compilations for instance like AP’s “The Wonderful Sounds…”!series for which I write the liner notes. As late as this May when “Thriller” was announced i speculated on how MoFi would cut 40 lacquers. They’d never admitted to using copies of Sony tapes and though I’d already made that public in 2015, when I speculated “Thriller” might be cut using either a tape copy or a digital file, they freaked out and implored me to take down that speculation because “after the Munich show” they would make an announcement explaining all, which they never did. I don’t understand how you think I should have known they’d been cutting from digital files. I’ll say this:?their DSD or DSD quad transfers are far less detectable than the 96/24 PCM files used by other labels that is audible!!!
@@trackingangle929 I think you may have finally hit the nail on the head, Michael. Except, maybe not quite enough. I understand that you raised some questions when you listened to "Kind Of Blue" and "Can't Stand The Weather". But what about when you heard "Abraxas"? What about when you heard "Portrait In Jazz"? I can only assume that you knew something was up when you heard "Blood On The Tracks", since that one was only cut from DSD 64. Point is, you have been very explicit in stating numerous times, and with emphasis, that you CAN hear the difference between digital and analog. And yet, even your discerning ear wasn't hearing that difference when you listened to the Abraxas UD1S, or the Portrait In Jazz UD1S, among others. If it is truly accurate that you CAN hear the difference, then I (and probably countless others) would have expected that you, of ALL people, would have promptly raised the flag way back then, saying something to the affect of "hey guys, something's not right here. This sounds digital, not analog". Now, I get it. You DID make a similar observation on two occasions but A) Why didn't you make that same observation with the other ones, if you can supposedly hear the difference? And B) Why didn't you ask the harder, more difinintive questions once you suspected something was up, and with the right people, so that you could get to the bottom of it as only a thorough journalist would instinctively insist on doing? It's okay to admit that sometimes you just CAN'T hear the difference, Michael. And I think it's important to admit it, too. Because if you could have heard the difference, you WOULD have heard the difference, when you heard Abraxas, Portrait in Jazz, and the now-growing list of others that were cut digital, and no one, including you, detected that. I get that you're NOW admitting that DSD is more difficult to detect, but I'd say that you're still cutting the assessment short. The reality is (based on actual events), sometimes you flat out CANNOT tell the difference, plain and simple. And, that really is the only logical explanation as to why you didn't catch this sooner, and get to the bottom of it years ago, when it was happening right in front of us all. Keep in mind, I'm not trying to attack you. On the contrary, I have a ton of respect for you and what you've done for the industry, I LOVE your work. And I love your detailed, in-depth expertise and knowledge, so I hope that you don't take this as a bashing of any sort, that's definitely not what it is. I'm just trying to make sense of it all, and at the end of the day, there have simply been parts of all this that haven't made sense... explanations that aren't ringing true, and require additional clarification, if not a slight deviation from the current position. Bottom line... I truly feel that the only reason you weren't asking the questions that we NOW know should have been getting asked at the time, is because neither you or anyone else COULD tell the difference between their digital cuts, and an analog one. Had you been able to truly tell the difference (again, with the ones OTHER than Kind of Blue and Couldn't Stand The Weather), I think we'd be in a much different place today, as would MoFi.
@@trackingangle929 Michael, I'm a long time fan and appreciate all you've done for vinyl through the dark years, but journalists shouldn't be "covering" for the companies who's products they review. Truth will out. This should have been your scoop.
@@Azerrmon I’m more curious why YOU didn’t report anything earlier since you know so much. 😂 The more I learn about DSD, the more I’m thinking that it is the ultimate archival format that can preserve analog tapes. Especially now that they have DSD 256 which is insanely detailed. Yes, it’s digital but it’s a different animal than PCM and closer to analog.
Now my question for MOFI would be “are you converting DSD to PCM for easier editing?” because that would degrade the quality.
@@nybravado4123 When and where did I say that I know so much? I'm asking questions, I'm trying to make sense of whatever parts of this that I'm not understanding. If anything, I am quite clearly identifying that I DON"T know or understand most of what happened, so it would appear that you've taken whatever portion of my narrative you read, completely out of context. At the very least, you have misread and/or misunderstood them. I would suggest that you've made my very point... based on what I too have been hearing, DSD 256 is phenomenally detailed. SO phenomenally detailed, in fact, that you cannot discern whether or not you are listening to digital or analog, when you are hearing it. It's good enough that I'm not running to cancel my MoFi preorders, because at the end of the day, I'm still okay with getting the very best sounding representation, even if it's not analog. BUT... when Michael proclaims that he can tell the difference between digital and analog "90% of the time", the statistics would suggest that it's more like 10%, or maybe 20% of the time, the point being that someone of Michael's caliber and expertise would have DEFINITELY exposed this through his talent alone, had he been able to tell the difference even close to 90% of the time. I am contending that he cannot tell the difference nearly as often as he believes he can, which is why he wasn't raising the prominent red flag, and digging deep enough into this to expose it for what it has turned out to be. I mean, let's be honest here... if that's NOT why he wasn't digging deep enough into this to expose it back then, what other explanation is there, other than to suggest that he was fully aware that it was going on, but was covering up for MoFi? I, for one, don't believe for a minute that he would do that, which is why I am trying to get to the bottom of how it went unexposed for so long, being that MoFi has been cutting digital since their very first UD1S release (Abraxas).
The big take home for me is not that analogue lovers can’t “hear” digital, it’s that they (we) now have to admit that digital records might sound as good or better than all analogue.
That’s a wrong thing to take home. You need to compare cases where there are both AAA and from digital records. Compare “Couldn’t Stand the Weather” cut from master tape AP and Mo-Fi “One Step”. Or “What’s Going On” from tape and DSD. And many others. No comparison. I began doing these comparisons for people a few years ago thinking the differences were only because Mo-Fi used copies but as we now know…… . I wrote negative and positive reviews but yes I got fooled sometimes. they did produce some good sounding ones. Many more that sounded bad that I never bothered to review.
@@trackingangle929coping haaaaaaaard
There is a certain amount of selective inclusion here. You neglect to mention that when talking to 45 rpm Audiophile you made it clear you had little respect for Esposito. You didn't just say he wasn't a journalist - you called him a "fanboi" and made it more than clear you didn't think he was up to the job of conducting the interview. Mr 45 rpm audiophile actually had to step in and defend him as an honourable man who'd paid his own way to go to MoFi, at which point you back-pedalled a little.
He blocked this part out of his mind lol
It is hardly disrespectful to say he was not exactly qualified to conduct an interview since he walked into this one having never conducted one. I promise you I am not qualified to run a record store though I’ve worked in a few and produced the radio advertising for more than a few. There is still a lot I’d like to know about how Mo-Fi produces its records, for instance how many digital conversions occur before cutting. DSD was intended as a storage not work medium so how do they apply EQ (which clearly they do), or other mastering possibilities.
Nope. You were not paying attention. He made it clear that he respected Esposito as a person. “You didn’t just say he wasn’t a journalist you called him a fanboy”, both statements are true: he is not journalist and he definitely is a Mofi fanboy based on what he had said about Mofi previously. He drools over Mofi in his videos. The problem is Fremer is from a time when men said what they thought and didn’t worry so damn much about “feels”. Also, 45 didn’t “step in” to defend Esposito as an honorable man…you made that up. If you would have listened to the interview you would hear 45 saying to the viewers that Fremer is CORRECT and to not be to hard on him. Nowhere does Fremer backpedal. It’s a great interview if you have time to actually watch it.
@@trackingangle929 I'd like to know those things too. but that wasn't the point of Mike Esposito's interview. The point, the one and only point was whether or not they cut records from a digital source. And *that* question was answered in great detail. the only information we didn't get on that specific question was due to what the mastering engineers could not specifically remember and no level of interviewing experience was going to fix their memories.
@@conanthemodeler858 I did listen to the thing - hence why I made the comment. The interviewer stepped in to say “we;re all fanbois’`. I resent your suggesting I didn’t listen. It stood out at the time as a slightly awkward moment. But heh, let’s rewrite what happens. The video’s up there for anyone to watch and see. What’s so hypocritical is that on the one hand there;s the arrogance of “He’s not a professional journalist like me so shouldn’t;t have gone” vs a whole video complaining about what a professional journalist (working for “The Washington Post”) has said, demonstrating that silly labels like fanboy or professional journalist designed to insult or self-aggrandise, are just that - silly labels!
I think the article nailed it especially the part about the audiophiles not being able to tell the difference.
Go elsewhere then. You are not welcome here.
@@trackingangle929 lol
@@trackingangle929cope
Mike, there are only a precious few sources in this hobby that I completely trust - you're at the top of that list - this entire debacle, which is completely on MoFi and the processes they actually use vs what they've been implying with their cover banners and associated materials and that having nothing whatsoever to do with who can hear what, because it's not so much to do with the records themselves, it's how MoFi represents those records, none of that has changed my complete faith in you - thanks for a bit more clarification and be comfortable knowing that at least in my little world, your integrity and honesty about any audio subject has never been in question.
Narcissistic personality disorder - one of several types of personality disorders - is a mental condition in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration, troubled relationships, and a lack of empathy for others. But behind this mask of extreme confidence lies a fragile self-esteem that's vulnerable to the slightest criticism.
True that is the definition. But I would not go so far as to call Michael Fremer a Narcissist. Most people that have a certain amount of success and especially within the entertainment industry do actually display narcissistic tendencies, but that does not make them narcissists.
A true Narcissist is Dan Pena/Trump/Alex Jones, there you have people that are beyond repair who 100% are it.
Also the industry invented this term to create more clients so they could milk the public, by giving their clients a false enemy and never providing a solution other than how to recognize them. But if they actually were a bit smarter they would be able to track this behaviour back to simply a bad diet, which creates a bad environment which creates these tendencies. And on top of that, also understand that you don't beat narcissicm by calling it out, once you do that you become someone like Dr.Phil who just makes people worse and actually breaks many of the psychological rules that a practitioner never must do. (psychologist)
In order to beat narcissim it requires a really good diet which is primarily based on greens, and then ONLY drinking water so that the body is not surpressed and is dramatizing things mentally and physically, then people will feel a natural self worth and not feel fixated and they will blossom by creating better relationships through admiration which leads to better environments, and then you don't have this the traits happening. Fact: most people that are narcissists actually have huge problems with their blood because of either being an alcoholic or eating/drinking a lot of sugar or light products. So you could actually say that the food industry is indirectly creating narcissist, and how we then privately deal with the lack of good food is how we then indirectly make us narcissist.
When the body is full at ease, then crime will go drastically down, together with most of the conflicts in this world.
And the whole big joke with mental industry is that, what I just wrote above actually applies to most mental diseases, but we as humans do still not want to hear that truth, because life is so impractical that we need the bad food, together with the stressful life, and will only accept a solution in form of a pill and false diagnoses that can keep the game to continue. That is what basically makes the world tick; never dealing with a problem at the root. That is sort of the reason for why we all are here, to just talk and fill this void with a lot of half false information to experience what it is like to own a body. So indirectly that makes life a joke, where we all feel that we are right, but in essence what is right is not what is the law or a policy or this and that person opinion. What is right is what makes the human species on a broad scale survive. That is the ultimate truth.
Nailed it! And they're always their own worst enemy.
You still have the best hair of any of the UA-cam Mikes in this saga. Undisputed.
all good comments Michael. Several years ago, when I bought the MOFI 45 RPM KOB, I was all excited to get it; could not wait to play it. A good friend of mine brought over his Hobson's Classic Records 45 RPM copy just for comparison. We did an A-B between the two versions. Was a 2 second test. the Hobson 45 copy smoked the MOFI so badly it was not even close. A few days later I put my MOFI copy up for sale and started looking for a Classic Records copy. Most who think the MOFIs are great only think that because they have nothing else to compare them to. If they had, they may change their tune.
We need Hobson out of retirement and making those great pressings again 👍
I have that SACD, and it's pretty bland. I have 5 other Miles LPs on MoFi and they sound fabulous. I had the Classic pressing from the early 2000s, and it is amazing.
@@krwd completely agree, but don't think that will happen. Its all up to Chad now and he is busier than ever.
@@joetaylor7952 they quite may sound good, but what have you got to compare them to the US columbia pressings, which are pretty lame, so pretty low bar to beat. If you are a Miles fan check out the prestige titles pressed by Victor music in Japan, they are quite excellent.
Just get the original. it smokes all the rest, especially the original mono.
you have already indicated how you did favors for mobile Fidelity by "sitting on the story "that you could've published. So you're starting position and claiming about how other people aren't journalists is tarnished. The article clearly supports what other analysts have said about Mike's video. His role was important. Yours was not.
Correct. Obeying MoFi and sitting on the story was a huge mistake.
@@Krell666 your claim is a huge mischaracterization and totally out of context.
I did no favors for Mobile Fidelity. I was the only writer who revealed in 2015 that they used tape copies. You come to my channel to spin nonsense.
You’ve never read anything I’ve written so let me clue you in: I’ve given many Mo-Fi records very negative reviews. Can you name one? Didn’t think so.
@@Krell666 not spreading what was a rumor given to me second hand was the right thing to do regardless of whether or not it proved to be true. Your position leads to chaos as every rumor spreads like poison until they are proven or disproven.
Thanks again, Michael - I always enjoy your perspective.
Mike E is the real deal and not stuck on trying to “be the story”.
I read the Washington Post article and have been watching and reading much of the "mishegas" regarding the discovery that MoFi has been using DSD in the production of their vinyl releases. I certainly understand your need to set the record straight. But your body of work speaks for itself. I was introduced to the Tracking Angle within the pages of The Absolute Sound in the early 90's. I was a subscriber to that journal, and Stereophile, to learn about better equipment, but I would turn to your column first because my primary concern was finding good music to listen to that was still being pressed on vinyl (and CD's that were worth getting). Indeed, much of my collection, that I still listen to frequently, is because of your recommendations (we'll have to agree to disagree that Richard Thompson's, Mirror Blue, was "overproduced"). And while the Post article attempts to play up the "rift" between you and Mike Esposito for the purpose of an imagined better story, ultimately the only person in all of this worthy of critique is Jim Davis.
I read the WP story and it was factual, very fair and clear that MF is not a reliable expert -- he was negligent or knowingly part of the MoFi con.
To the the two Mikes - Fremer and Esposito,
I LOVE both your content and perspectives - for very different reasons.
SO - DON'T let the superficial media understanding of the problem pit you against each other!
You both uncovered the MOFI DECEPTION from different yet complimentary angles BRILLIANTLY.
While were I Mike E. I’d be happy with how I was portrayed in the story I’m sure I’d also see how this story was written to revive a conflict that had been settled between two individuals and I’m fairly certain that’s how he sees it.
@@trackingangle929 Agree - Mike E should be happy with how he comes across in the article due to the misreporting - SO I kind of hope he doesn't perpetuate this with another response video.
AT THIS POINT it's Jim Davis/MoFi that we need to be hearing from, not you guys!
The MOFI SILENCE IS DEAFENING! Mike/Mike/Mike - stop filling the VOID for them!
@@trackingangle929 Does The Washington Post have any knowledge of the feud? I don't know but I'd be surprised if they did.
@@Goldenpurp282 he interviewed me for an hour, as well as many other members of SHF, so yes, he knows. Geoff has watched the VC videos. He's spoken to lots of people. He gets it.
@@trackingangle929 The story wasn't about you. And I am sure *that* is how he sees it as well as anyone except you and some of your followers. It wasn't written with you in mind. You are barely mentioned. It was written as a novelty piece about a record store owner who broke a story about Mofi using digital steps in their mastering chain on his youtube channel. It...wasn't...about...you.
Well done. This whole thing is crazy. It’s all because MoFi misrepresented their product and never came clean. Shame on MoFi.
In the MoFi reaction video with Michael 45rpm you were very negative towards Esposito. You did say the MoFi engineers rolled all over Esposito and he never got any answers from the engineers. When you realized you were wrong you made this clip a few days later. With that said, I really enjoy all of your content and a fan of all three Michael’s.
Somehow Mike E got out some facts while the experienced journalist played ball.
For not being a journalist he sure did get the scoop.
I was surprised how well the whole story was represented in the WaPo. Generally the main stream media does not cover these niche subjects very well. The last part about the digital was indeed a throw away jab but it has been apart of the online fever but not really about the mofi part in the scandal. You do come off a little petty on your whole thing with Esposito about him not being journalist etc. I think you should stick to telling your great stories and history of the industry. Drop the Mike E bee in ya bonnet. Stay positive, you are the OG!
The writer has spent two years talking with me and others for a story about high end audio. Not surprised he got that part right. Of course I came across as “petty”. He purposely chose to make me appear so. I still believe a qualified and experienced Bay Area journalist would have been best for the job. I wouldn’t want that writer running a record store. That’s not petty or insulting anyone. This story still needs a proper telling. For the consumer’s sake and for Mo-Fi’s.
@@trackingangle929 Micheal- I don’t think you’re wrong that a journalist would have been more ideal and would have done a better job. It just sounds like having Mike E go up there was more of a seat of the pants offer by mofi because his first video. I do really appreciate you and the years of dedication and knowledge you bring.
Throwaway jab? I think that was a very important point to make and one I don't hear any.of these "audiophiles" addressing. Why is it they couldn't tell with their super sonic hearing that there was a digital step, and are they now ok with digital since they have been thoroughly enjoying these releases?
@@TheHSIHP It's a throw away jab because it’s an unresolvable situation. Nobody owes anyone else an explanation on what they think they hear, wether you believe them or not.
Reminds me of a situation at a restaurant a couple years ago, they were serving pork loin but calling it veal and many Muslim patrons were pissed. I don’t think it would be reasonable to laugh at them because they could not tell the difference or that it makes no difference meat is meat. It was fraud against there customers.
If you don’t think there is a difference between good digital and analog and I do, does that give mofi the right to defraud? of course not. Does it mean you can tell me I can’t hear the difference? No it does not. The hobby is subjective and solely for my enjoyment.
@@snoopyboobs Listen, I think what MoFI did was shitty but I'm much more interested in the other story. The one about the fact that audiophiles loved the sauce until they found out what's in it.
Thank you Michael. You're certainly a trusted source. We appreciate all of your hard work in keeping us informed.
I think a lot of you and the other two Mike’s. I think this has created something between you all. I don’t believe that any of you disagree. I think the internet and the article has took focus off of the real problem , the transparency of mofi. That is the issue. And I’m thankful for what all three of you have done in exposing the truth. I think it’s done now , and mofi needs to take responsibility, and just let you three make great videos about what we love . Great music on vinyl. Keep up the great work sir.
Thank you, Michael. I look forward to more content on this channel.
legitmate gripes - Jim Davis comes out as the biggest liar in this story
"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!"...but this begs the question of, "Which curtain?"
Fremer is to journalism as Pee Wee Herman is to weightlifting.
Thanks Michael. I like your videos and will continue to watch them . I have learned a lot from you. Thank you.
As you wished Michael…. Finally a real journalist covered the story. Hahaha
This is the best comment ever !!!!!
There's probably only two or three Mofi titles throughout their entire catalog that isn't bested by a vintage original or reissue. I just feel bad for all the audiophiles that have wasted their money on AP and Mofi titles, but confirmation bias is quite powerful ...
Based on the outcome of this debacle, Esposito is Mozart.... and Fremer is Salieri?
Glad you cleared that up I had no doubt about you in the first place good luck with your new channel there's a lot of amateurs out there rise above it as you always will!!
if anything, we’ve learned that DSD cut at 45 RPM rocks.
yes!
Mehr Rechtfertigung als beim drachenlord
The next time someone asks you to hold publication for their benefit, give them a very short deadline. Someone else won’t hold back.
Esposito got lucky with his invite, but notice that only came about because he shared a rumor MoFi weirdly thought they’d somehow debunk or gloss over.
Why they allowed him in was their mistake, for which we’re all now grateful. MoFi played you, the question is how to position yourself going forward.
"90 percent of the time"... really ??? Your "golden ears" have been deceiving you !!!!!!
@@henrygandy3883 Seems you replied to the wrong person, Henry. I never said nor typed what you attributed to me.
Sorry !!!
Great coverage on the important matter from the god father of analog itself! On the side, is that new SME turntable?? Cannot wait to hear your opinion on it.
Great video Michael!👍
You obviously are an educated guy on the subject of all things vinyl, but the constant need to tell everyone that you are and to blow your own trumpet 🎺 is never a good look and kinda turns people off the message you are trying to convey, no one likes a show off, just saying, and this is from someone that likes your take on things, your channel and your knowledge on vinyl.
I agree totally. I owe a lot to Fremer,but at this point he’s gaslighting us with revisionist history. We all saw his attitude towards Esposito, even months ago. It was sad to him use his privilege and stature to disparage a newcomer to our community. Fremer’s sour attitude about all this is the only thing making me think that he wasn’t aware of MoFis secret all along. Think about it. More than MoFi had to know about all of this.
@@TooBuz Mr. Esposito unfairly disparaged a small record label doing good work. He made untrue claims about lacquers. I called him out. We did a video together in which he questioned my integrity because I get promo records. He refused to look at evidence presented regarding lacquer longevity because the source was honest enough to admit an association with the lacquer seller. Then he posted a video claiming he’d proven everything I claimed was wrong, which was a flat out lie. So there’s that. Excuse me for defending myself against scurrilous charges made or insinuated.
@@trackingangle929 Honestly pulling for you here, although you’ve cost me $xx,000 in vinyl over the last 3 years. I saw all the ERC and lacquer conversations between you guys. He only questioned you about promo records after you came to the defense of the “industry” in reaction to his opinions on those matters. To be fair, you disparaged him while coming to the defense of the “industry”.
I do respect you and I apologize for using those “progressive” catch phrases against you (a favorite hobby of mine 😁). I do love the new channel and am so happy to see Michael Johnson working his way up the ranks. He’s a gem.
@@trackingangle929 rec you re read the WP ----You blew it Mikey.
Thanks for your channel, I consider you a leader in this field
My god this is like watching junior high kids talk about a rift. Y’all are not the story!
We’all implored the writer to NOT make the story about me after he asked for photos and details about me not relevant to a story about Mobile Fidelity. As it turned out he made it about someone else. It should not have been about anything but Mobile Fidelity. You buy into the “rift” bullshit pushed in the story and y’all puke it up here.
I don’t understand the “audiophiles have been exposed! See, they can’t tell the difference after all!” crowd.
The thing is, MANY “audiophiles” DID in fact pick up on something being off with several MoFi releases, but because they were led to believe that these were 100% analog records and trusted in MoFi on this point, they doubted themselves and chalked it up instead to EQ choices or perhaps a characteristic of the tape/recording itself.
I always knew there was a digital component in their chain. I still like their product but not their business practices. Glad they were exposed. It’s wrong
There is no reason for trolls, they just like upsetting people over their pesonal preferences. Trolls are useless parasites, don't waste your time trying to understand an oxygen stealer. :-)
that is some serious revisionist history there. Show me one single review or audiophile forum where anyone expressed an opinion that the Abraxas one step might be digitally sourced. One condition, it has to predate Mike E's video breaking the story.
@@ralex3697 you always knew it? Why did you keep it a secret?
@@scottwheeler2679 You’re cherry picking one example that literally nobody here is talking about.
At the end of the day for me, this will change nothing. I will keep the MOFI albums I have and get on with my life. I'm glad this is out though and I thank you Mr. Fremer on, as the kids say, keeping it real.
the WP was clear that the MoFi cover up was the issue and Fremer obviously participated in it. He and MoFi chose to hide the use of DSD-- notwithstanding it is a fantastic tech --I have one CD Sam Cooke on DSD and its amazing, way better than any LPs on my top LP12 active Naim system. .
One fact is Mobile Fidelity has been using marking scam to sell highly priced products. That is illegal and they need to be sued. I don't care how good some people claim the product is. If they can't live up to this simple task of following the law they need to be be put out of business. In my country this would have been very simple. The independent supervisory authority appointed by the Ministry of Business and Growth has the authority to simply shut down a company in some cases for gross negligence
THIS.
YES
Mr. Fremer, I have teased you and busted your cajones and encouraged some humility. Whether you know it or not. However I really do respect you. I’m 60 and I’ve been around. I’m reasonably intelligent and accomplished. Meaning I think I know a little. Your resume speaks for itself to those who understand. Are able to understand. I appreciate your mission and your professionalism. If the Post did as you report, I believe you, then their “journalist” was unprofessional in his response to your clarification on his article.
I for one have no problem with you, your input or clarifications. If something else surfaces please continue communicating about it with us. Well done 👏
☮️
MoFi Thriller released straight to the discount cut out bins!!!
I don't like the Thriller music enough to get a copy, no matter the price or 'rarity.'
By the way, you are an extremely gifted story teller and audiophile. I enjoy all of your videos, and hope to enjoy many more.
Mike, just move on. You are the greatest on analog audiophile world . We are all good admirers of your work. Pickup the pieces and go up
Michael thank you for this video and quite a few of the other ones I have viewed in the past. You know what you're talking about! You're a straight shooter! You're one of the very few to be trusted and I really respect that and thank you and appreciate you for that! Thanks again and keep the videos coming.
Don't let the Joneses get you down!
It's the Washington Post. What did you expect.
It seems some people are looking for credit for breaking the story, so here goes. 45rpm questioned the MJ one step, Ingroove saw 45’s video and thought, “45’s right, i’m a mofi dealer, I have sources inside mofi, i’ll get to the bottom of this”. MF said, “I had suspicions all along, here’s the proof”
I thought 45 RPM brought it first also, that’s where I heard it first anyway.
The whole story about Mofi using digital to cut lacquers has been discussed on social media for well over a year now by people in the industry. The questioning of what they were going to do with Thriller came up in May on social media as well. This was not some revelation that either Mike had. I have to believe they saw these things and it inspired their videos. My channel has been talking about it for over a year.
Um I wrote about how “Thriller” could not be sourced from a master tape within SECONDS of the press release going on line. I wrote then that it’s either a tape copy or a digital file and that it’s would be a tape copy anyway because Sony does not send masters to Sebastopol so you posted FAKE NEWS
@@chriswitt202 I hope the difference between where you might have heard it and where it was first reported isn’t lost on you. And what was “reported”? A RUMOR or a fact? Answer: a RUMOR that turned out LATER to be fact. I don’t traffic in rumors.
@@trueaudiofiles8453 came up on my old website within seconds of the press release post. “Social media” LOL. That’s where wankers post that Ron McMaster didn’t have a preview head and couldn’t cut all analog. That wank spread like syphilis through “social media”. I was at Capitol so was able to post a PHOTO of Ron’s preview head. That’s the difference between wanking and fact checking. For every correct social media wank that’s correct, 100 are wrong.
Vinyl is the best format for both digital and analogue master copies. And it is through your love of vinyl that we can achieve that which is great. Thank you Michael.
Well said Michael. You laid out your position clearly. Sadly, I don't think Mofi's problems are at an end quite yet.
I have a feeling the problems are just beginning
Man, there's got to be a book about this fiasco...or a movie.
The "promo record gravy train" is such a silly indictment and yet he keeps it alive with each new video.
Thank you for your clarity. When you are speaking about vinyl records you are a trust source for me. It’s all about the music.
I think you get too hung up on your critics Michael. Just ignore them and don’t reply unless it’s something super important. You are in an industry filled with “I know more than you” people. And in your case, you do know more than most
I do think that when something totally wrong about Mikey is published in the *Washington Post*, to me that would qualify as “super important”.
He can’t help himself.
@@PanAmStyle since when has anyone taken the Washington post seriously?
@@arkerstater8856 Laughable response
@@PanAmStyle that’s the intention
They should have watched your videos on Mobile Fidelity before publishing that article. Clearly, they didn't.
So I just this minute finished reading the WAPO article and that last sentence is highly disingenuous and misleading. That's not what this is about. I suspect some collusion between Music Direct/MoFI and WAPO to minimize financial damages Music Direct will now face. Nine percent of revenues is big stuff and there's no way Davis can weather those headwinds with his board. Not only am I boycotting MoFi in the future, but also Music Direct, a long time source of many expensive purchases (at least for me) is now off my list permanently. There are no analog or vinyl emergencies, but there are active deceptions and lies. Even that revised card with the DSD under the little tape reels is confusing with regard to the process path arrows. Is that fork in the road or a linear path, yeah, screw 'em. More deception, more intentional lack of clarity. Figures. I had enough of these companies. My money will be spent elsewhere.
Don't try to sneak into your cutting room like that. I know what you've got behind your back. DSDs. More new (and old) DSDs.
SO because of the Mofi debacle I figure maybe its better to seek out orig or early pressings of albums, and decided to - for now- forget about getting the Miles Davis One Step of Bitche's Brew. Last week, I was able to get from my local record store a VG+++ bitche's brew- 1st reissue US pressing, this came out the same year as the orig (verified by discogs). i have a question about old reissues. When an lp was reissued the same year or the next was it usually from the same stamper or did they reissue it from the vinyl lp
I love your videos Michael, but it really does not reflect well when you say your videos contain more information than ten other vinyl enthusiast’s videos combined. Why say that? It’s just not true, it doesn’t reflect well. I wish folks could get along.
If you watched my first MoFi video and can point me towards one with more background I’d consider taking it back but the ones I’ve seen don’t.
I agree. It's not conciliatory or trying to move forward as a community. It's defensive and oppositional. The tone of voice is calm but the words might as well be said as a rant.
@@trackingangle929 same position as Amy, I really appreciate the work that you do. The problem is that whether or not you do actually have more info in your video than 10 others is irrelevant. UA-cam algorithms and bogus articles like the one in WaPo seek to divide us and this kind of rhetoric just furthers it. Let your work speak for itself and I think people will come to the conclusion that yours is better more quickly anyway.
One of the most freeing moments in my own professional career came when I finally realized that I did not need to compare my work, or measure my success, against that of others, knowing that what I produced was of a very high calibre and stood on its own merit. The majority of us know and recognize that you’re the man when it comes to vinyl Michael, and your knowledge does eclipse that of most others on social media.
Ah fukit Mikey. I'm just glad you are spreading the word and telling us about records we should listen to. I'm not up on the politics or what goes on. Just keep on doin' what you're doin' and don't let the bastards bring you down. I'm still glad you set the record straight though ! Geddit ?
Thank you for your voice on analog transfers.
My limited experience with digital has been negative.
I’ll take my chances with original pressings.
Hero of the story is Mike Esposito who risked damage to his business to tell this story. 100% integrity. Villian is Jim Davis from MoFi who clearly deceived his customers willingly for a decade. It’s not complicated. I am glad i haven’t bought a MoFi record in at least 10 years. Now after this i never will.
Nixon --- "I am not a crook."
“Taken out of context” my ass. Your tweet had the clear implication that Mike Esposito was WRONG. Just admit it and move on jeez.
does this tweet still exist??
I hate tabloid journalism and construction of controversy and conflict when there isn't none, but overall the article was pretty good. But we have all learned something here. As journalists and consumers we must be very careful with whom we trust. As for MoFi, they should have a bronze statute of you in their offices. You've done so much for the vinyl market over the years, of which they've all profited. I bought my only fully priced MoFi album because of your review and recommendation! "Elvis Costello with Burt Bacharach - Painted From Memory" is one of my all time favorite albums, and I treated myself to a vinyl version for my desert island record box. But mostly MoFi has released titles which doesn't interest me much, and I've always hated the banner on top of the cover art, which ruins it for me. I mean, an iconic album cover like "Dark Side of The Moon" with a yellow banner on top. Sacrilege!
Man, I had no idea you had another channel. I have been missing new videos from you on the other channel and was hoping for one on your new OMA turntable. Have you made a video on it somewhere else I’m missing or is one to come as this is a huge thing for fans of yours as you don’t change tables very often.
Anyway, subscribed to this channel now Michael. All the best from Austria.
I know someone who can't hear the difference between digital and analogue. But his dog can!
I’ve heard such stories based on staying or leaving the room depending on source!
I’d like to see someone dig into the larger labels like Universal. I wonder how many titles they have lied about being from original tape.
Many of their tapes burned up in a fire in 2008. The Polygram stuff and Motown titles were on the east coast and didn't go up in flames.
Yup. I know of at least two titles that the artist said lost tapes but have since had reissues that claim to be from the tapes. Its funny how analog or original tape is used to sell but not good enough to actually go through the trouble of actually mastering from it.
@@sittnonchrome There's always safety copies that go out for overseas pressings. The more popular stuff may have been moved or was out and about during the fire.
@sittnonchrome so many dumb things people writes, please, log off. "from original tape?" could be a copy, digitised, whatever.
A big one is Motley Crue reissue that says cut from the original analog master tape when it was a digital recording. It still could have been cut from a digital tape though, but they were wrong on the source. But even "cut from the original master tape" could be cleverly used to omit digital transfer steps as mofi did. Bottom line, unless people are open about the process ,I just suspect it's a digital cut these days.
Well, the MOFI video did happen, it's the interview when Mike Esposito when he went to Sebastopol, It just didn't feature Jim Davis...
OK....got it. Back to fun! Love your DCS box with your Wilson's....pretty sweet!
Thank you Michael
This whole story is 100% solid proof that those vinyl enthusiasts who have spent years saying that vinyl is superior to digital and that MOFI One step records are sublime don't know what they are talking about. As a SACD, CD, Blu Ray Audio enthusiast, I can't stop laughing!!!
Well to me it’s just a storm in teacup these releases suddenly no longer sound good, it may have left a bit of egg on faces of reviewers and audiophiles alike who were duped into liking these cuts and MoFi hasn’t been as transparent as we thought but it proves digital sources done well do sound good 😊
Let`s not confuse who the villain is here. The marketing for MoFi (i.e. Music Direct) has been misleading ,if not outright lying about how their pressings were produced. The focus needs to remain on them.
Michael, in 2017 (Quincy Jones vs MJ Estate).. Did you play the original CD with great stereo or was it the original vinyl record you played in front of the jury? In the video you posted the other day you was holding a vinyl player but said you played the cd for them.
I liked the post story because 1) it was not behind a paywall and 2) I learned that Jim Davis would have kept lying forever, and is plenty displeased with his VP.
Jim Davis wanted to be at the Esposito meeting, but the "line at the car rental was so long" he missed the meeting. 🤣😂😆
@@harrysmusicroom yeah this is so silly. Ever heard of thing called a phone? Call them and tell them for wait for you.
@@VivianLund Or send word by pony express, you know, the analog way.
Well laid out, Michael. Excellent. And what a shock that the WAPO distorted the facts! When I read that article, I hoped you would respond because so much was bs AND they used you as the villain in their weird love letter to Mike E.
Are you being sarcastic? WaPo is and has been garbage for years.
@@vuzkoth Absolutely sarcastic. WaPo is 100% opinion, nothing objective in it.
I watched this video a couple of weeks ago. It has stuck with me, mostly because I was inclined to believe the Washington Post story and buy the underlying premise that audiophiles objected to the criticism of Mo-Fi to protect their fiefdom. I'm so glad I saw this. Michael is such an interesting guy and obviously knows what he's talking about. It seems as though the journalist really just needed an angle and molded the story to make it more compelling. I've been so appalled by how so many Americans are swayed by poor news sources, but this reminded me how the need to make a story work can drive the narrative from even the most trusted sources.
Good for you!!
Well done Michael, well done. I note that, to date, Mobile Fidelity has not disclosed what's what, despite their languid "apology" and promises to diclose facts. I've watched Mike E's MoFi interview video again, and, to his credit, he did get them to disclose, in so many different words, the nature of the source masters used to drive the cutting head. It's the extent, history and marketing collateral element that he did not get them to disclose, justify and defend. As some have intimated, It matters not a wink to me as to "what their jobs are" at the company. Each of them had a responsibility to represent what is going on if they invite someone in the door, into an actual mastering suite(!) to ask questions. Promises were not kept. Promises still haven't been kept, and for that reason, I encourage everyone to stop buying MoFi products until they fully disclose the cutting sources of their entire back catalog. Give Discogs the information too. The public has a right to know, not only from Mofi, but from other mastering companies too, and the value of these records can then adjust according to factual information, not lies. Keep up the great work, Michael!
I learned a long time ago (through observation) to never talk to reporters. The full truth being reported will never occur.
Fremer, your aces my man. You know your stuff and have the experience and credibility to back it up. Don’t sweat minor league pitchers, your a major leaguer going to the Hall
A nice wrap to this debacle… hopefully! Is that an SME Model 60 I see on your turntable rack behind you?
glad you are back with your own channel. copy of things 1. for all those years i thought analog planet was your channel! i don't go to much anymore. 2. (and i am a fairly liberal guy politically ) i never liked the washington post i always thought they had a bit of an obvious agenda. keep up the good work michael!
The first error was trusting a modern Washington Post journalist to report an accurate story. They don't make em like they used to.
I appreciate your experience and insight to these matters . What is kind of amusing to me is , this is starting to sound like a mini soap Oprea .Maybe Netflix will release " what would be a good title? As the turntable turns" ? lol As an end Comsumer, one who is not hoarding or speculating, I really don't care what kind of Mojo Mofi does, I just want my stuff to sound nice // K
"[Mike E] had no idea what he was doing. They should have sent a journalist." Not saying that he was wrong, but in the Michael (Germany) interview, it did appear like you were saying he was clueless/ill-equipped and perhaps should have made different decisions in visiting MoFi, i.e. sending a journalist instead of making the trek himself. Came off as petty/jealous.
This. Attacking someone else to somehow avoid the obvious questions is pretty tacky.
He also clearly called him a "fanboi" in the first minute of that video.
What I said to Jim Davis in an email was that in addition to Esposito they should invite a qualified journalist and I could recommend several in the Bay Area. Why is that “petty”????? He did eventually get the digital fact out but it’s not “petty” to say it was uncomfortable to watch. And it’s also true that having never conducted an interview he had no idea what he was doing! If he invited me in to run his record store I’d have no idea what I was doing and he’d watch me and say so and I wouldn’t call him “petty” for saying so but I’d hope I’d have the good sense to decline the offer. You might think me “petty” for suggesting that he should have declined the interview as well or asked that an experienced journalist join him. That’s what I suggested that you called “petty”.
@@Krell666 Your insinuation that I knew about the digital step is beyond tacky. It’s a lie.
@@emilspec1227 he is/was a MoFi fanboy as you are a Mike fanboy. That’s not an insult.
Has anyone looked into the big master tape fire from some years ago and MoFi releases? Curious to know if any originals being released as One Steps went up in that.
I read the article and as we say in England it contains several terminological inexactitudes
It wasn't well structured. I thought the WaPo article was 'all over the place.' Obviously, written by a neophyte.
The best words of wisdom I'd ever received was from my C/O at the 5th Special Forces Grp back in the early 80s "If you have to explain it to them, then they just won't get it" once again, he was proven right. It's not what you think you know, it's what you can prove.
All I have to say to the digital issue is that the best sounding vinyl records I find are ones that were released before digital. I have a first press of ZZ Top Deguello that sounds incredible. I bought it for $12.00 used. The sound literally leaps out at you. I streamed the same album through my Bluecast with a Cambridge DAC and though it sounded passable that added dimension and presence from the vinyl was missing.
I never said that. You only heard what you thought I said but you misrepresented what I thought I said. So take it back or I will say something that I never said so you cannot misrepresent what was said.
Michael, You probably weren't invited because you are one of the few reviewers who are honest about what you hear and are unapologetic about it. I completely respect that an wish there were more reviewers and journalists that did the same.
Through this debacle the thing that keeps getting missed is the customer. Consider them if you please. Peace.
I wouldn’t have gone that’s why I suggested Bay Area qualified journalists. It was as much for Mo-Fi’s benefit as for the consumers and Mike Esposito too.
People criticize Michael but he is honest and knows more than most. I have followed Michael Fremer from the early days. Great respect and hope to meet him one day at an audio show.
Mike, I appreciate your honesty on this topic. You’ve been doing this longer than many of us have been alive, including Esposito. You’re an old school real journalist and that doesn’t exist now days. It shows with the Post article.
avoid ad hominem attacks.
The worst thing this WP article does is that it takes away the discussion from what Mofi did,and makes it all about Michael Fremmer and Mike Esposito.
I don't know who is "better served" from this article but i'm sure that Mofi is one of them.