Final Thoughts On the MoFi Debacle + The Severe Changes for this Channel
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- Marvin Gaye 50th: • Marvin Gaye - What's G...
Muddy Waters Folk Singer: • Muddy Waters Folk Sing...
We at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab are aware of customer complaints
regarding use of digital technology in our mastering chain. We
apologize for using vague language, allowing false narratives to
propagate, and for taking for granted the goodwill and trust our
customers place in the Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab brand.
We recognize our conduct has resulted in both anger and confusion
in the marketplace. Moving forward, we are adopting a policy of
100% transparency regarding the provenance of our audio products.
We are immediately working on updating our websites, future
printed materials, and packaging - as well as providing our sales
and customer service representatives with these details. We will
also provide clear, specific definitions when it comes to Mobile
Fidelity Sound Lab marketing branding such as Original Master
Recording (OMR) and UltraDisc One-Step (UD1S). We will backfil
source information on previous releases so Mobile Fidelity Sound
Lab customers can feel as confident in owning their products as
we are in making them.
We thank you for your past support and hope you allow us to
continue to provide you the best-sounding records possible
an aim we've achieved and continue to pursue with pride.
Jim Davis
President, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
From Wkipedia:
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL or MoFi) is a record label specializing in the production of audiophile issues. The company is best known for its reissued vinyl LP records, compact discs, and Super Audio CDs but has also produced other formats.
In the late 1970s, the label earned a reputation for high-quality audio from its Original Master Recording LPs, which had been recorded with a half-speed mastering process. The company was purchased in 1999 by Music Direct in Chicago. In the 21st century, Mobile Fidelity's sales grew with a renewed interest in vinyl.[1]
Background[edit]
In the 1950s and 1960s, it was common for record labels to press relatively heavy records on new or "virgin" vinyl. During the economic downturn of the late 1970s, the cost of record pressing increased, and many record labels cut costs by pressing lightweight recordings from recycled materials, which are considered impure. Recycled vinyl pressings are reported to have more pops, clicks, and surface noise.[citation needed]
Copying sound from magnetic tape to LP is highly complicated. Apprentice engineers typically spend several years becoming experts in disc mastering. A mastering engineer may need to adjust and or compromise the sound quality of a record in order to maintain loudness and make the groove traceable by the stylus of a record player using a low-quality phono cartridge. Often, sounds have been mastered with additional compression, limiting, and equalization. In order to reduce wear on the master tape most discs are not sourced from the original master. The source tape used may be many generations removed from the original. Typically, the engineer will cut the first pressing and a "cutting master" tape in parallel. Subsequent pressings are cut directly from the cutting master. Some pressings are cut from copies of the cutting master tape. Each subsequent tape copy adds tape hiss, and wow and flutter, degrading the sound.
Founding[edit]
Recording engineer Brad Miller (1939-1998) released the first recordings on the Mobile Fidelity label in March 1958, a recording of a Southern Pacific steam locomotive.[2] Later LPs included other steam trains, environmental sounds and orchestral music, which drew interest from audiophiles but gained little attention from the public. While Miller was located in Burbank, California in 1971, the company released a few pop and orchestral recordings. This included a 7" 45 rpm single produced by Miller, "Saunders Ferry Lane"/"Early Morning". The record was credited to "Clare" and sung by British vocalist Clare Torry, who later gained fame from her performance on Pink Floyd's song "The Great Gig in the Sky".
In 1977, Mobile Fidelity began to produce a line of records known as "Original Master Recording" vinyl LPs. These albums were previously released by other companies, licensed by Mobile Fidelity, and remastered using half-speed mastering. During mastering, sound was transferred from magnetic tape to disc while the cutting lathe moved at half speed. The albums were remastered from the original analoquadraphonic Compatible Discrete 4 records, which had been introduced in 1972. JVC Supervinyl was more durable than regular vinyl, with lower surface noise and fewer pops and clicks. Mobile Fidelity packaged their albums in heavy cardboard sleeves, inner cardboard stiffeners, and plastic liners.
vinyl community 2022 mobile fidelity sound labs tone poet series
We at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab are aware of customer complaints
regarding use of digital technology in our mastering chain. We
apologize for using vague language, allowing false narratives to
propagate, and for taking for granted the goodwill and trust our
customers place in the Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab brand.
We recognize our conduct has resulted in both anger and confusion
in the marketplace. Moving forward, we are adopting a policy of
100% transparency regarding the provenance of our audio products.
We are immediately working on updating our websites, future
printed materials, and packaging - as well as providing our sales
and customer service representatives with these details. We will
also provide clear, specific definitions when it comes to Mobile
Fidelity Sound Lab marketing branding such as Original Master
Recording (OMR) and UltraDisc One-Step (UD1S). We will backfil
source information on previous releases so Mobile Fidelity Sound
Lab customers can feel as confident in owning their products as
we are in making them.
We thank you for your past support and hope you allow us to
continue to provide you the best-sounding records possible
an aim we've achieved and continue to pursue with pride.
Jim Davis
President, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me. Can't believe it took this long to come up with this business as usual "apology". I don't even own any Mofi recordings and it makes me mad. How about a return policy on all the records you've lied about?
The Better Business was been contacted. I’m lucky I never bought any of your releases. I’ll keep my original copy of Thriller by the way.
Clarity is needed. The casual reader of the brand names of your processes can be lead to believe, if they don’t read properly that they are getting a special all analogue production chain from master tape to LP disc. It doesn’t appear to be accidental. Your digital file won’t degrade so many more perfect stampers can be produced at any time. That implies that the limited editions at elevated prices don’t really need to be that way, in fact you could do the opposite. You could improve the quality, cut the price and sell more. You could even do it for other people. With feelings running high it all feels like a spectacular own-goal!
Too little too late.
@@rongreen1538 exactly. I don’t buy a album because it comes in a pretty box. Give me a nice gatefold, a nicely mastered LP with a hype sticker and I’m fine. I hope they don’t think they’re going to get new customers after this.
Please don’t torture yourself with thoughts of how this debacle has affected your channel. Keep doing what you have always done, informing and entertaining us. Review your new records and give us your valued opinion, we don’t need anything else in my opinion.
Completely agree. We don't need you to compare with the original. Just your opinion on the release. Seriously, MoFi messed-up and continue to dig their own grave by saying nothing. Don't pay their price for them!
I just said the same thing. Review new releases. Forget about MoFi. They’re a lot of new vinyl out almost everyday. Review the new Lizzo. It’s a great album. I just got mine and I haven’t played it yet. I would love to know what you think about it. How it sounds and the pressing. This kind of stuff. MoFi isn’t worth your time anymore. Pretty packaged records isn’t enough for you to spend your time on.
This guy is right. Don’t stress over someone else’s dishonesty. Keep on doing your thing. We will keep tuning in!
Amen! Comparisons are cool when you can, but the added personal expense to source an original could get out of hand. We’ve seen you do comparisons with older releases in the past, and those are great. But not having an original to compare with does not negate your review of the newer release! If the new release is good then it’s good. Keep letting us know. I have purchased several records based on your reviews and have been quite pleased. Thank you for all you give to us. Keep it up! Peace
Hello Michael. I agree that the window for a statement from MoFi to apologize has come and gone. I now feel that the window for analog master copies is going to continue to close as time passes and this is just the first awakening for us. Tapes have a life, but it seems they have not all been cared for properly and it will be more difficult not to have a digital step if not impossible. We will all need to adjust to it. In the meantime, for MoFi, I think it's time to let the litigation begin.
You're right about the life of tapes, but all the masters should be committed to very high quality "reference" or "safety" copies. As Fremer said, back in the Analogue Era, the master tapes weren't typically sent around to produce the lacquers. A copy was sent, and some of the very best Analogue Era pressings were made from copies. Obviously a copy isn't preferable to the master, but given the alternative, it's a legitimate option that'll keep analogue alive for a very long time to come.
@@audiophileman7047 Thank you audiophile man!
I think all the talk about tape deterioration is very much exaggerated. While there were the well known sticky tape problems in the seventies and eighties when some companies tried out other formulas, many very old tapes from the fifties are still in excellent condition.
@@markusberzborn6346 Thank you Markus.
@@markusberzborn6346 Good point, but there is a limit to their lives. Improper storage and carelessness are another issue even to to the point of tapes being misplaced or lost. When the digital age arrived, many labels neglected their master tapes not thinking that they were important. Heard a story from Fremer where Bernie Grundman had the original master tapes for one Led Zep's albums on the floor. Grundman said the label hadn't picked it up, and it had been sitting under his table for a really long time. Well, those days are over, and the labels recognize the critical value of their master tapes now if they can find them.
Just want to say thank you Michael for your videos. I have a fair size vinyl collection but I can't afford to buy expensive reissues. But doesn't stop me loving your channel. You and your love of music is so inspiring. Thank you so much.
Nothing you could do about this dodgy situation. I’m up for whatever direction you take this channel now. Just glad you’re keeping going. Best vinyl channel on UA-cam. Nice one Michael. Keep up the good work
If you're able to source the original pressings to compare them to the reissues, that will be a huge service to the community!
Really good early vinyl often sounds better (to me) than modern pressings, even mofi. And, not just first pressings. Sometimes, a pressing ten to twenty years after the original recording can sound better than an original pressing. Gotta hunt around to find copies in good shape, of course.
If analog fanatics now start to claim they don’t like the sound from these MOFI records, or that they can “hear” the digital, I will laugh my a$$ off.
I don't think MoFi has used DSD in cases where that is possible. If Sony will not let masters travel, MoFi is doing the best possible to get you the best sound by going to the tape instead. It's the art of the possible. And do the results sound good? Yes!
Interesting I just compared my Classic Records Muddy Folk Singer. Sounds great. I have always found Muddy voice harsh in places (always). It is so dynamic when he yells it blows you out. I then took out my Mofi one step Muddy Folk Singer. Same harshness in the voice, it’s in the tape. Honestly. If you played both blindly I wouldn’t find any preference they are nearly identical to me. As much as I feel that Mofi bent the rules here and did some deceiving…I think they also exposed a flaw in the vinyl purist. Always wanting analog. If it sounds good it sounds good. If this Mofi Muddy Folk Singer was the only version I had that would be great. I think everyone feels deceived. But the analog purists are a bit exposed because they raved about several of these releases from
Mofi for years….driving up prices on things like abraxas to $2500.
I can’t wait for the Van Halen one steps. Not cancelling anything. I think the transparency will come in the end. Sunlight neutralizes all this bogus on both sides
@@laurencewhite4809 I heard the digital Lonnnnggg before this ever happened. That’s why I only have one Mofi record. Learned my lesson
I think it’s time for a mid-year (2022) best record review. I enjoy these and they are a great help to discover new music. As always, love your channel.
Hi Michael, I just wanted to offer my sincere thanks to you for the great advice you offer and for raising very important issues on behalf of vinyl collectors. Please remain independent in the future and continue to challenge, asking questions that really make a difference focussed on customer service, range of titles, quality of sound recording and printed album covers/inserts.
I am so glad to hear that you will be listening to and sharing your insights on original pressings. I think this is a great move!
I’m not surprised MoFi hasn’t apologized. After all, its the “one step” they skip in transparency.
Integrity and honesty are not always easy to come by when money and egos are involved. I think the community that checks in your channel on a regular basis finds those qualities on a consistent basis in your clips. Which speaks to your character. I don’t think it’s a sad story, it just propelled some important change. Best regards…
The collectors wine market was rocked to the core a few years ago by the actions of one person that sold fakes to people that trusted in him. Like wine music is something that gives us pleasure and the colector wine market did come back. Just a bit wiser and cautious. We as consumers now need to learn from their mistakes in trusting sellers and manufacturers of the goods and services that are provided. As an audiophile and a Sommelier there are lessons to be learned here. Deductive reasoning and steps of evaluating a wines quality lead me to make a an educated decision on it's value and pedigree to the consumer and myself. We all need to use our senses, reasoning capacities, and experiences in the future to avoid being hoodwinked. Thanks for being there Michael; we are very grateful for the service you provided to the audiophile community worldwide.
Absolutely. Comparisons are terrific and you have the pleasure of doing so very well. :)
Hi Michael. I wrote to you last weekend and referred you to your Marvin Gaye, What’s Going On comparison. I was highlighting that you had identified there were differences between the albums. You rightly concluded KG’s mastered album sounded much better. You could have gone further to explore why there was such a difference, but honestly, who would have thought MOFI would have done that; deceiving their customers and destroying their brand at the same time. The fact your reviews were in favour of the other releases demonstrates you have good ears!!
I appreciate your channel, Michael, and your feelings on this issue, with which I agree. Two albums I want to get are the Sonny Clark Dial S for Sonny Blue Note classic series vinyl and Oscar Peterson We Get Requests (and later, Night Train) Acoustic Sounds Series vinyl. I wanted Dial S anyway and was thrilled that it is being reissued (no way I can afford older pressings of it), and then I watched your recommendation of it, and that definitely made up my mind. Keep up the great work!
I like the idea of beginning with an original reference pressing and using that to determine the quality of the new release. This will make all comparisons fair, each review having a known baseline. All releases will compete on the same premise. Excellent idea when it is possible moving forward. Thanks for your attention to this difficult subject and bringing rational thought and reasonable analysis to us through your channel. Excellent job, although not what you were expecting. 😃✌️🙏
JOHN COLTRANE - BLUE TRAIN (BLUE NOTE TONE POET SERIES) is live for pre-order
link please
MoFi still makes some of the best sounding records, that won't change, I'll still be buying ones that I like!!
I very much support this Michael and I think it’s awesome what you’re doing I know it’s not the easiest thing to source an original pressing in most situations. But I applaud you and I will be even more excited to be your channel in the future thank you for all that you do for the vinyl community.
I've been aware of MOFI recordings but I'm not in a position to to have afforded them. I have tried some half speed masters and have been really impressed with them (in my world!). I've been invested in HiFi equipment for the last 30 years spending money only when I could justify the improvement being offered. However, I promised myself that I wouldn't forget that this thing is all about the music and never to lose sight of that. If a recording is satisfying and perceived to be worth the investment then does it really matter that there might have been some slieght of hand? If it was a great recording last week, is it not still a great recording this week? Obviously there are more serious implications when you look at this purely from a collector's position but, as I keep reminding myself - Don't forget that it's all about the music! Not sure if that helps but I enjoy your channel so I hope you continue with it - Good luck either way!
i love your music talk daily on this channel-----i've hated this whole MoFi nonsense. I've never bought a MoFi release and never will! HERE FOR THE MUSIC talk not the morbid details of business strategies and scams.
I 2nd this!! :-)
well said bunky!!
Not a single MOFI record in my collection but I'm a big fan of this channel!
@@Marginwalker1972 SAME!
@@Marginwalker1972 +1 on this, have had some great suggestions on music to listen to from Michael and my listening experience has widened as a result. And that is what matters.
Hi Michael. I am not an audiophile, I listen to all vinyl digitally sourced or otherwise. However, I feel your pain as a committed audiophile. The window for MOFI has passed. Pick yourself up my friend and keep your channel focused on those vinyl production companies who haven’t cheated guys like yourself
Michael, it makes me sad to see you so clearly sad about this. I watched a couple of older videos last night and you had such an emotional attachment to some of those records. It is so unfortunate and like you said, a disaster. But we know that you will find a way forward. You are on a quest for quality and an example of class and quality with your channel. We look forward to watching you and we appreciate what you do. I personally can’t wait to see how you go forward.
Disaster? How?
@@jamesboyle8828 Michael had used that word to describe the situation in his video. I took it to mean: a) all of the people who have lost faith (and money) in the product and the company b) and the public relations disaster that it is in general.
I think regardless of a particular perspective, it is a disaster on many levels and agree with his assessment.
Would be cool where you can compare new vs another older pressings. Doesn’t have to be every reissue. Not your fault this happened! Don’t beat yourself up ! Keep up the great work.
I am not a vinyl guy, especially not a religious believer in any format.
MoFi is another proof that good sound is less related to the format but the mastering.
MoFi shows that the analog and digital cults are meaningless, we can't tell them apart. Would we react the same if someone adds an anlog step in a digital mastering?
Let's focus back on the joy of good music.
I would LOVE to see you compare original pressings to reissues. But keep doing what you enjoy, love your channel
Bench mark is the word you were looking for. Thank you for all you do for the vinyl community!
Michael, I love your channel - you have made me fall back in love with vinyl. I love your new idea / no need to stress over this - keep on spinning & enjoying your music collection as you share your thoughts with us.
Hi Michael, ..finde ich eine gute und bereichernde Maßnahme von Dir, die Originale als Reference heranzuziehen, ..darüber gäbe es viel zu sagen ! Besten Gruß
Why change anything (for what you may already own)? If you do a comparison why not state what you know like "This is a MOFI copy it does have a DSD step in the process" and compare it to Original or reissue by another label or what have you. As long as you do your due diligence on the 'facts' of the record I think that is all anyone would want or expect. You are a great channel to watch and listen to and I feel Music Direct is really weighing everything they may be seeing for the last week. I believe they have tried some social media pushback through other sources to see if any backlash tones down & within another week I think you're going to see some kind of response because I dont think their pushback is working. You're a cool dude Michael and I hope you are not distressing about this. Take care man
You are right. If there is any pushback going on, it is definitely not working.
@@continentalgin Social Media where you cant see video and some 'supporting' channels are being used for pushback but I agree it is not slowing this out of control train
@@DarkSideOfThePepper They can pushback all they want, but the mass cancellation of orders will tell them something.
@@continentalgin Exactly that's why I believe another week will be the tell-tale for them
Hi - I suggest you look and find a fellow collector in Duesseldorf who already has a great collection of original pressings so you can compare. That would be a fun series of videos.
Follow your heart and do what you feel is right. Its your channel. I will still be buying MoFis as Im always looking for the best sounding record due to hearing loss. I am not and can never be an audiophile. Although i am disappointed in the company and am not crazy about paying One Step money. I was not planning on buying any of the upcoming titles anyway. Keep up the great videos. 🎶☮️🎶
Dear 45 RPM. I have one or four final questions about this topic. Will you evaluate the sound quality of future releases of Mofi? Will you be biased, can you forget the past ? Should you? What if a digitally sourced vinyl is actually better than a all analogue process? Is this impossible?
You are doing a great job as a reviewer for the collectors’ market. I don’t know much about MoFi apart from what I have learnt in recent days. Their methods will split opinion and objectivity will be present on both sides of the argument. The possibility is that operating with DXD allows facilities that purely analogue transcriptions cannot. Similarly, the sound directly from the tape might have qualities that the DXD forgoes. I think that the issue here is about product naming and processes used in production. It should be okay to say which remastered reissues work well and which ones don’t. Listening to the MoFi team, they feel that they are producing premium products and putting a lot of time and effort into it. Tapes are a fragile and perishable medium and sometimes there are limitations imposed on using them. The music, performances, production and mastering can be preserved and improved on and often the tools will be digital. We love our vinyl and some of us pay well over the odds for special pressings. Perhaps you could do an interview with MoFi and get a visit to their facilities. There’s more than one way to see this and there needs to be a rapprochement. Stay well!
Cancelled my pre orders. I have purchased over 60 new Mofi since I started with vinyl in 2020. My $$funds will now go to Chad. I have purchased over 120 AP since 2020 and they are the best I own.
Michael - I’m sure you know this already but just in case …The really good and cheering news this week is that Blue Note have announced the JC Blue Train - Tone Poet release and it will be available in two versions - Mono and Stereo + extra takes. That’s a proper release! Mass email out coming tomorrow apparently but if you sign up for their newsletter you get a sneak preview
Kudos for you and all UA-camrs savvy enough to not fall for what I refer to the "MOFI Noble Pursuit" repair strategy. As if they used a digital source to bring us a better record at the potential cost of their reputation! As a Marketing professional I am interested in your take as to this approach. A simple, "mea culpa" might have sufficed to me but they didn't and as you have said, that window has just about closed by now. The Mobile Fidelity fan FB page (not associated with MOFI) is essentially preventing people from using their page to try to hold MOFI accountable. It is almost cult-like there. I'm watching all UA-camrs now to see who steps into holding MOFI accountable and who is shilling for MOFI.
Let's not forget in this whole debacle folks. MOFI is a digital record company. That's a pretty big deal.
Totally agree with all you said, Scott. I'm not okay with Mofi's response of "yes this digital, but it's the best quality digital there is." And like you, I am watching all UA-camrs to see who holds Mofi accountable and who is shilling for them. The ones holding Mofi accountable are getting thumbs up and my future viewership, the shills are getting thumbs down and no more views. I've been very discouraged and kind of shocked to see that the majority are shills, but I am encouraged by those who are not. Like you said, this is a big deal.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the recent debacle. Keep up the great work
Michael outstanding video as usual. Question for you has Music Direct/MOFI published any list yet that would tell us what titles that were digitally sourced? I checked both websites and there is no mention on the list. Do not feel bad, we were all mislead.
I hope this serves as a lesson to the other record companies……be honest in what you do for your customers and you will be rewarded with their patronage.
Love your channel Michael but thank you for making this the “final mofi - gate” video. I miss the other content. This has been talked about to death by everyone and has become quite repetitive. Regardless of how one feels about mobile fidelity it is time to move forward.
100%!!!!!!
Spot on, I am so tired of the Mofi topic, let's go back to records & stereos. I am still buying Mofi and I don't care if it is DSD recorded, I only care about the music and sound quality.
Having a reference makes total sense, and it would add a lot of value to your reviews. I believe the word you were looking for was 'yard stick', by the way. :) Keep up the good work!
Interesting comments Michael. A question (I have asked you several times but I think I have never received an answer). If you're interested in the “best” pressing in terms of sound quality, why haven't you focused on getting first pressings?
i like new and untouched things .... but .... i have to change that now when it comes to vinyl
@@Michael45RPM Dankeschön Michael.
That would be really cool to have original pressings to compare with for sure. It definitely requires extra research but if you are willing to do it that’s awesome. But also a little talk about the availability and prices of the earlier pressings would be especially relevant when taking in to account the sound difference between, say a $3 Alan Parsons Project or Cat Stevens original against a $40-125 reissue. Or an album where the original is very very expensive and hard to find. Even just having that information helps when trying to decide whether to get new reissues.
An excellent idea to have Original or alternate pressings of a release as a 'benchmark' to measure against new or remastered releases Michael - as you can compare both the audio quality as well as the packaging and print quality of both sets.....
Does anyone know how Classic records sourced / mastered their material ? To me they sound way better than the majority of MOFI albums I own. Also what about Analogue productions ?
I bought the AP 33 version of Folk Singer after watching your review. I wasn't going to go with any 45 version anyway but since you gave the AP 45 version such a good review I went with the AP pressing
Michael you have great integrity. Mofi didn't play straight. Yours was the first voice I heard questioning what was occurring and asking the right questions. The vinyl community is grateful to you. ❤
Michael thank you for your thoughtfulness and ongoing commitment to quality and transparency - I really like your suggestion about how to proceed with your reviews going forward.
A sad story, but the beginning of something new and bright.
Michael you have gained a subscriber, thankyou for highlighting the Issue. You have taught me so much watching your videos & I truly appreciate the passion you have for vinyl. Your channel is informative on another level & it can only grow from here.
When needing an original pressing, in lieu of buying, have a program where you get copies from other UA-cam channel audio folks or from your viewers. Loan - listen - send back - get all involved
BTW, have the audiophile labels Fonè from Italy and Tacet from Germany ever been discussed on this channel? They do not just work with analogue tapes but they record them themselves. Personally I find this more interesting than reissues, as good as they may be, of the same old titles over and over again.
they will come
I love the channel and have learned a lot from you Michael, but with all due respect, I don’t believe that this is a ‘disaster’. Partly based on your opinion of MOFI releases, I have about 50 of them in my collection. With very few exceptions, they are outstanding!! In the last few weeks, I’ve gone back and listened to many of them, and they are still the best pressings in my collection (along with AP and the Blue Note Classic and Tone Poets, and a couple other labels). I’m glad you said ‘case closed’ because I think way too much has been made of this. I will always try and find the highest quality pressings, and unless something changes, MOFI is still clearly among them.. for context, while I have a collection of about 2k records, I am a music listener, not a collector. I hope you can still be objective about MOFI releases.. thanks for the content Michael, I always look forward to the information and opinions that you provide
I hope this scandal will change the record producing industry. Maybe we needed this, so that Companies will change their ways how to communicate which sources have been used.
You’re the best. The vinyl community will survive. I’m just afraid some people will just switch to digital/DSD/SACD
Comparing two issues of an album would be an excellent plan. If mofi have an unique issue review that. We now know their process.
Speaker wizard Andrew Jones left ELAC and went to Mobile Fidelity. His new work for them is supposed to come out later this year. Do you think the interest in his speakers will be compromised any by this controversy?
In the end I think it's all down to those little things like personnal taste, how we feel, what we need to hear at any given moment. I mean, there will be noticeable differences in every mastering, right? Digital or analogue put aside, a record cut by Mofi will not sound like one from A.P., or by Bernie Grundman, or Kevin Gray, right? So what? Who's right and who's wrong? In my own taste, MoFis have very rarely been among my favorite remasters anyway, and that was way before I cared to know if it was digital or analogue.
The very sad part though is that MoFi might now go down because of lack of transparency, not for lack of quality (personnal taste put aside).
I can understand how people feel deceived. I have no skin in the game. I could never afford the audiophile pressings and I’m a thrifter at heart. But I would hold those who weren’t upfront accountable. I wouldn’t buy another pressing from them. Always loved your channel.
Hi Michael, I just received a copy of Time Warp as recommend by your guest Whose name escapes me. The Telarc LP back noes state “Digital recording is superior to conventional analog recording in the way written history is superior to oral”. So there you go, another view. Since I have a very modest system I’m not sure it makes much of difference to my ear. But, pricing for LPs does not seem does not seem reasonable. I hope your discussions may have a positive impact. I enjoy your show very much so please keep them coming! Thanks again. Ron
There’s going to be lots of fantastic analog releases from other companies. Get ready for the new Blue Train release.
The tree needs to bend with the wind Michael. The only question is whether it sounds good because the collectors edition that gathers dust isn't worth collecting. I come here for the passion and the love of music - all else is secondary.
From native German to native German. The question "what master?" at MoFi started at the time the company was still abbriviated MFSL. For the first time it came up was sometime in the mid 1980s. That time when all major lables where allready mastering their production masters for the production plants fully digital only. I have found that out short time ago, but it matches the time when new vinyl begins to sound awful and I switched to CD. I have done live sound, recorded analog and digital, constructing my own speakers, but because not being a muscian and not becoming an engineer, I had a long audiophile hiatus from 1995 until 2015 workin in IT and restarted at high end audiophil/Studio tech level. I still like and buy LPs but only releases before early 1980s. Recordings of the major lables from 1980 to around 1995, when 96kHz/24bit digital in the process became standard, are mainly bad sounding. Not only of bad digital tech, but also of the optimization for Walkman and car audio. If a digital recording after the early 2000s sounds bad you got my support to punish the engineer or the lable. I found enough examples, beside loudness war, of good digital recordings I can enjoy. With this backround the ado about MoFI, and espescially the 'Original Master' discussion is at least ridiculous. The latest analog finals mixdowns with master status are a few years old (analog revival) or 30+ years. And analog tape ages despite any other statement. The equipment also, as the wowing tape machine at MoFi prooves. To get a AAA-quality out of it today you have to remaster, analog or digital. But then you don't cut from the "Original Master Tape" anyhow. I prefer todays digital and enjoy high-end analog vinyls from the past. And what the guys did from late 1950s to late 1970s is still amazing but is to small for me to focus on only.
great videos my man thank you for putting mofi in their place, and doing it the right way
they started adding source info for their vinyl and they did apologize LOL but I did cancel all my pre-orders
People may probably understand music should be purchased like a concert ticket. Front row for an expensive price because they really want to see the artist as closest as possible, without thinking too much if the ticket may cost more later on for collectors. These high prices on second-hand markets can easily find themselves in this situation MoFi created. Music is not virtual currency and should not be treated like this. Music is art and if someone purchases something shouldn’t think much how much of their investment would return upon selling the record… And is not the same art as a painting. 😎
I recall some time ago people said the original Nevermind pressing was as good or better than the MoFi issue - both amazing. But also the limited 2007 Japanese 200g Universal release was as good as either of those.
An excellent idea: a "new" version comparing to an older one!
That is , i.m.o., also the ONLY way to evaluate the sound quality of a record: by comparing to other versions..
I am a little bit surprised that you reached this conclusion only Just now...
This "comparing to" makes the shootout video's from Mike from the InGroove so incredibely good!
Good choice!
Quite honestly, I think there are worse things going on in this world.
Get a grip. Enjoy your beautiful system and the records you love.
Life goes on.
And enjoy your mofi's the you have been enjoying until you found out there was a digital step.
I waiting to see the finale outcome. the Jackson one step release is going to be crazy to see the numbers. It really will show what MoFi future is.
I’m going to preorder it…on SACD!
I think your comparison with OG or early pressings will be of interest to many. Personally I do not buy vintage records. I started doing so in 2020 when I got into vinyl but here in Canada it is difficult to find NM originals and after buying about 70 from the 1960s 70s and 80s I was underwhelmed by the vinyl quality and in most cases the pressing and mastering was inferior to the audiophile reissues.
I look forward to watching you/us move past this
The ideal situation would be to find a record collecting friend with thousands of original pressings where you can borrow for comparison videos. I still
Absolutely love your comparison to the now “rare as hens teeth” music matters. Don’t worry about it, we are here cause we value your opinion and you don’t have to have heard originals.
It’s making me hate mofi all the more and hope we can all get rid of these one steps.
Michael, your passion is so admirable. Love your passion man!
Don't lose lose your joy of those wonderful performances...
As I experience significant hearing loss now, I actually now enjoy the heavy rock stuff more I 🤔 I think.
Still love the industry and technology discussions..
There has always been snake oil in our hobby, whether anti-gravity power conditioners, $5k interconnects etc.
The quality has not been a complaint but at a $100 + MOFI should be hearing the legitimate concerns of it's customers but seems to be disinterested. It's a great opportunity for other distributors to capitalize on.
No single LP of anything that has been remastered is worth $125.00. A good condition original copy might be. But, I don’t buy a record for resale value anyway. I buy a lot of vinyl a month. Probably to much. But, I go to the artists store and buy most of my music. Or the major labels. I personally love Merchbar to buy new music and some older music I may not have in my library.
Look, it’s 2022 anyone who thought that any vinyl coming out was without some form of digital aspect wasn’t thinking.
Anyone heard of the Placebo effect!!
I agree with you!
I trust and value your opinion keep up the wonderful work Michael 🤗🥰🙌👏👏👏😘♥️🙏🌍
Like many others I canceled my pre orders. There should be a price reduction in the works. No way will I be paying $125 for a digital recording.
I'm done with Mofi, I've canceled all my orders. There's no excuse for what they did, I'm still pissed off.
Michael, very nice follow up. Would agree finding earlier pressings may be of benefit when doing a comparison, but many of the mid 1970s and 1980s pressings especially from US Columbia or the various US Capitol pressing plants are pretty poor. On some of those pressings, you could probably sonically beat them with a cassette tape, so any comparison done will be with a constantly changing benchmark or reference level. I bought a number of the MOFI 1 steps. As the saying goes, they F'ed me once but won't do it again. I cancelled all the pre-orders I had. Am done dealing with MOFI.
I wouldn't mind seeing reel-to-reel come back as a format with OMR sourcing, as Chad is doing, but I have to win the lottery jackpot first!
@@continentalgin yes, those 15 ips tapes are addictive. But a bit over the top for many.
I have a number of 15 and 30 ips tapes. They put any DSD or 24/192 file to shame. Sad part is most folks have never heard one so have no frame of reference.
Keep on keeping on Michael. I trust your judgment and can tell by the smile on your face and the way that you say fantastic how good an album sounds. If you feel the need to disclose the source of the records you've reviewed there you go integrity maintained. You've quickly become my favorite go-to guy, I trust you.
I understand where you are coming from. Having an original pressing to compare to any "new" remastered one would be nice, but might simply not be practical. Even single ended reviews, only reviewing the "new" product are still very useful. You can tell us if it does indeed sound "good", how good the vinyl is, how well the packaging was done, and about any "extras" that we get. All those are very good to know before making a purchasing decision. For instance, I was excited about MoFi coming out with a new Alan Parsons "Eye In the Sky", but after your review I'm glad I didn't buy it. I have the original pressing from 1982 that has only been played a few times (mostly for recording to cassette back in the 1980s) and of course the CD. Seeing the terrible level of packaging quality you presented helped me avoid a purchasing mistake, so I thank you very much for that.
Thank you Michael. It all seems like incredibly annoying developments, I think what you intend to do is admirable, necessary and ultimately the best way to do comparisons anyway. I’m personally going to enjoy because I probably really do have the OG and it’s really a proper contrast
Maybe I am misreading things entirely but it seems that perhaps you feel bad that you Mofi deceived you and that you then unwittingly passed on some of that deception. Do not feel bad. You are not an investigator, do not feel like you are obligated to become one. (Unless that is really what you want to do). I appreciate so much all of the work that you do to give us your impressions of what you hear, of what you appreciate about the music. The music is what this hobby is all about and I love to listen to and respect what you have to say about it. For myself, that is enough, regardless of the source material.
Hi Michael great show brother, you knocked it out of the park as usual thank you
I kind of feel like the weird one in the modern vinyl community as I rarely don't buy new pressings of older albums. I buy original pressings or something close to the original...what ever sounds better and doesn't cost much. It just hurts me that so many collectors spend top dollar for something of superior quality and wind up getting ripped off. Ah, I'm rambling here. Michael, at some point, I would love to interview you on my channel and see if we could come up with some thought provoking questions, comments,etc.
When this broke I did remember your reservations on several of the one-steps
Michael, my opinion here. It seems like you tried some damage control here. Not the case. No need. No need to purchase different versions of this record. People will buy them if they want anyway. You will spend too much for something that will eventually just increase prices again on the original pressings. And that may be a good thing, too. But for your pockets, your space I would recommend for you to go with your heart and evaluate what you can, how you can. If it’s really your desire to own original pressings, fine, but you will have lots of waiting time for each record pair. Is a good experiment, but usually records are being bought because somebody loves the record. If he really wants to see a way better pressing, this should be his case to investigate for as much as he loves the artist or the record.
We all enjoy your channel but now we have objective proof that your channel is better than the vast majority of other vinyl reviewers on UA-cam:
In several of your comparison videos between MoFi one-steps and Analogue Productions or other versions, you said the MoFi was very clear and precise sounding but the other versions sounded warmer, more alive, more "analog." You said this when you were reviewing MoFi records before you, or anyone else, knew that they were made from digital.
What about the other UA-camrs? NOW they know, so it's easy and safe for them to heavily criticize MoFi. But what were they doing BEFORE they knew? They were singing the praises of the MoFi one steps and a few other recent MoFi 2x45 titles.
Why? Either they didn't carefully compare the One Steps with versions they knew to be analog. Or because when they listen to a newer One Step, their brain tells them it sounds amazing (whether it does or does not) because of a prejudice that expensive MoFi One Steps *must* sound better simply because they are expensive MoFi One Steps.
You have PROVEN that you judge a record based on how it actually sounds; you do not let the name of the label or series bias your perception of how the record sounds. We have plenty of proof of that in your previous videos.
That makes this channel better than most, if not all, other vinyl channels.
With warmest regards and much appreciation for your work,
Ron
Kenosha WI
USA
A few months ago I decided to buy a DSD to vinyl pressing from PS Audio. I'm a late comer to vinyl, long term fan of SACD so was curious what DSD to vinyl would sound like over AAA. When I listened to the PS Audio vinyl I thought it sounded impressive but quality was familiar, not discernably better than anything I'd heard say from Mofi One Step. I now know why I felt a familiarity 😉
So I wonder as a consumer going forward, would you no longer buy the One Steps or even the regular 45rpm MFSL reissues? I’m assuming everyone would continue to buy reissues from the 80s on that were originally digitally recorded? Some say they would buy One Steps like Thriller but not for $100+. How much would you pay? I’m just a little confused as a newer vinyl collector.
Yes Michael, you should do those comparisons and not only for the Mofi. Just influencing to buy re or DS you don’t compare is little value. When you compare you should leave out inferior labels like Pure Pleasure (almost never from first analog masters) and those further down the ladder.
Something I haven’t heard anyone talk about is the fact that not only are MoFi able to cut 40000 copies or more on release, there is nothing stopping them from pressing more any time they want. Imagine paying $2500 for the Abraxas one step in 2021 only to have them press 50000 more in 2023. All it takes is a phone call to the label and, since they don’t have to release the master again, it’s only a question of money.
The only consumers of vinyl that this is really going to affect negatively are those that have been purchasing multi records because they believe they are pure analog, and those who are pure analog purists. For the rest of us, the only impact maybe we can finally get these records for 50 to 70 bucks instead of $125. Oh, and mofi will probably be slapped with a few class action lawsuits. Something like this doesn't get resolved by apologizing. When you miss represent your products by lying to your customers and you are caught red-handed, it's pretty easy for them to get financial restitution.
The good news for the entire vinyl community is this falls into the old, all publicity is good publicity arena. Everybody's talking about vinyl now, and the fact that the digital ones are really no better or worse than non digital, especially with the DSD recordings from which the vinyls are produced, we might see people actually buying more vinyl and buying more turntables and getting involved. We never really know how it's going to affect everything overall.
Hi Michael just a thought. The vinyl community is very large and you have a good amount of followers. Maybe you can request original pressing of whatever record you are comparing and since some of these record are very expensive. Maybe people will let you borrow records that you are comparing and after that you return them to them. The only issue would be the expense of shipping but it might be cheaper to pay for shipping instead of buying them. I am a very large collection of original records and I am willing to send them to you for you to comparing them. Just a thought
For me as a Dutch guy it would be interesting if you could compare the new reissues against early EU pressings from Holland or Germany. Just a thought.
I sent them (MoFi) a very polite email asking them if the Forever Changes (by the band Love) 2 LP 45rpm vinyl set had a digital source in the process of making it and they could not be bothered to even respond. I mentioned nothing of the scandal and was friendly. I sent another email asking again. They could not be bothered to even respond. I believe they have disdain for the customers. I will never buy from them again. 🤨
Putting the controversy aside for the moment. It's quite obvious that digital in the recording chain isn't all bad and the end product can sound just as good as a "pure analog" (if there is such a thing as pure these days). So when it comes to vinyl, is MoFi's real advantage here is that they are pressing 12-inch 45 RPM over 12-inch 33 RPM? Not trying to take away from the mastering process but perhaps what really needs to happen is pushing for more companies to produce more 12-inch 45 RPMs than there are now for better records all around.
You can add Sonic Fare when you are comparing MoFi to AP and others.