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Mobile Fidelity Analog Vinyl Controversy

Mnyb

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What’s the fuss about they use proven transparent methods of music production ?
It would be worse if they eq and mixed in the analog domain ?
 

charleski

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If digital is so bad as some claim, the golden ears would have heard the incorrigible sound immediately and started complaining and wanting refunds long before now. Knowing only the sound was awful without knowing why. The fact this didn't happen indicates digital usage during the Mofi process is likely un-hearable by golden or other ears.

An unintentional massive blind test in the heart of subjectivists holiest of holies analog world.
There have been numerous examples over the years of ‘golden-eared’ subjectophiles swearing that over-priced tweaky components clearly sound better only to find out that the person running the comparison had tricked them and they were listening to cheap well-designed solid-state the whole time. The wails of outrage this would elicit were very similar to the howls coming out over the past few weeks.

But my favourite has to be Mr FunkyGlasses 45rpm Audiophile and the extreme anguish caused by the realisation that he’s been listening to Dirty-Sounding Digital for all these years. This whole thing has clearly caused considerable distress. Who can watch this and not shed a tear?

Since I don’t really keep up with the loony fringe I first heard of all this stink a couple of days ago, but it’s certainly been a fun way to spend a Saturday morning.
 

AdamG

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There's a link to Mobile Fidelity's response on page 7 or 8.
Duplicate threads merged. Thanks @DonH56 for pointing this out! ;)
 

thegeton

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I quite frequently have found jazz albums on streaming and liked them so much that I ordered the vinyl remaster, just to have the experience (quite different from streaming or playing a file) of placing the album on the turntable and sitting back with the album cover to read the liner notes while enjoying the music. Sometimes the overall sound of the album isn't very different at all between the streaming version and the vinyl, but the overall experience is vastly different. :cool:

Exactly.
 

Vacceo

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What’s the fuss about they use proven transparent methods of music production ?
It would be worse if they eq and mixed in the analog domain ?
It seems that for fetishists, it is. Perhaps the quality of the record is excellent, but quality of the sound itself is not the problem.
 
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Azazello13

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But my favourite has to be Mr FunkyGlasses 45rpm Audiophile and the extreme anguish caused by the realisation that he’s been listening to Dirty-Sounding Digital for all these years. This whole thing has clearly caused considerable distress. Who can watch this and not shed a tear?
Oh my goodness. That is absolutely delicious.
 

beefkabob

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The kind of people that will use DSD are likely to ensure quality control more than good enough for vinyl
No reason to think DSD users are any better than anyone else. Still, more than good enough for vinyl.
 

charleski

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Digby

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No reason to think DSD users are any better than anyone else.
I don't, but can the typical laptop ADC record DSD or do you need better quality equipment? I mean it is a show of extra effort (hopefully translating to more care) on the part of the label, not that it is necessarily better quality wise.
 

mhardy6647

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I am of the impression that the most significant damage done by this imbroglio is to the speculators who bought up limited-production goods with the intent of reselling (sooner or later) for substantial profit.

:confused:
 
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Azazello13

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They lied!
The high price of their products was based on the big fat lie of their supossedly all-analog chain, from master tape to the final vynil pressing.
I'm not so sure they "lied". Perhaps some falsehoods in some support emails to individual patrons that people have been sending around after the fact, but their published info has been careful. Certainly they let the golden ears believe all that, and they did nothing to dissuade. I think they are guilty of some dishonesty, but viewing their offense in the context of the "audiophile" world in general and all the various cons at play, I view their offense as a minor one. Largely because they have actually been delivering the goods, providing great recordings, and I am convinced they have been using digital not to cut corners but to deliver the best finished product they can.

As far as their prices being inflated, meh. Most of that is aftermarket speculators. Selling such limited runs, which is part of their agreements with the license holders, $100/LP is not that crazy given the quality they deliver compared to other available versions. It would be hard for them to make any money at all selling them for less. Of course, I wouldn't ever buy them, if it's a release I am interested in I'll buy the CD for $30.
 

GXAlan

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I think omission of the truth was the problem even if it wasn’t outright lying. The engineers didn’t shy away and honestly, DSD was conceived in 1990 for archival of analog data. Back then, I don’t think PCM technology was as mature as it is today. Of course, SACD was an entirely different issue focused on patents and copy protection, but it doesn’t change the fact that DSD is probably a good mechanism for archival.

Edit: and for the record, MoFi/Music Direct was wrong.

Have you ever been impressed with a 10 year old kid singing Celine Dion? Objectively, Celine Dion is better than the 10 year old singing the cover, BUT your enjoyment of the kid is no less and possibly better than the professional. Think about the Olympics and the excitement when an amateur is able to beat a pro? When you brag about an all analog chain, there is an element of “I cannot believe something this flawed sounds this great.” There is the element of the underdog and the ability to vote with your wallet and say “if you pay attention to the mix, I will reward you.”

I can see copy protection concerns making it difficult to release the SACD or DSD download files, which is where it may end up that vinyl is the best distribution medium we can get today.

The remastered Star Wars vinyl that was done digitally is a good example of a great sounding remaster that got people to buy new digitally remastered vinyl.
 
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thegeton

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Re: Fremer on the MoFi debacle - all those years spent "knowing" that he could hold the truth in his hands. He could show people that truth and have them listen to it. He could "prove" that this was the one truth.

Then to learn that the truth had been compromised and was indeed an outright lie, that had to hurt. One can only imagine the shear horror he felt discovering that the red vs. blue pill decision was irrelevant, and ultimately he had no choice but to accept an "obscene" reality: there was no spoon to begin with.
 

Fidji

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Re: Fremer on the MoFi debacle - all those years spent "knowing" that he could hold the truth in his hands. He could show people that truth and have them listen to it. He could "prove" that this was the one truth.

Then to learn that the truth had been compromised and was indeed an outright lie, that had to hurt. One can only imagine the shear horror he felt discovering that the red vs. blue pill decision was irrelevant, and ultimately he had no choice but to accept an "obscene" reality: there was no spoon to begin with.
I will be happy to hear anything in M Fremer’s age. I have sore throat after needing to shout at my father for 2 hours, as he would not admit, that he needs heairng aid, being 72.

That he can hear difference between Napalm Death and Giuseppe Verdi is nothing short of miracle.
 
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MusicNBeer

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Hopefully MoFi gets sued bigtime. Yes it's a meaningless lie as far as fidility goes, but it's a grand theft lie as far as collectability goes. Almost nobody would be paying $100+ for those One Steps if they knew they used digital masters. Disgusting company. I've never bought a MoFi due to the crazy prices, now I surely never will.

And Michael Fremer is a pathetic charlatan.
 

Vladimir Filevski

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I'm not so sure they "lied".
Yes, they did!
Look at their old explanation of "One-step" here:

mofi.jpg


And compare it with the new one (after the scandal):
https://mofi.com/collections/ultradisc-one-step

See the aded "DSD" below the "original master recording"? But even now, it is not clear - is vinyl pressed directly from the "original master recording", or directly from the "DSD" recording? I will call that dishonest, at least.

their published info has been careful.
Yes, carefuly packaged lie.

As far as their prices being inflated, meh. Most of that is aftermarket speculators. Selling such limited runs, which is part of their agreements with the license holders, $100/LP is not that crazy given the quality they deliver compared to other available versions.
I didn't say it is inflated price, I said they charged that price on basis of the big fat lie of all-analog chain from master tape to the vinyl pressing.
 
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Somafunk

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As far as I understand the process involved they made the most accurate copy of the original master possible at the highest resolution they could cut for vinyl, whether or not that had a digital process wouldn’t bother me in the slightest as I’m sure the audio quality is as good as it gets for vinyl (I don’t use/have vinyl), what I would be pissed about would be the fact that they only released a certain number of records thus inflating the perceived value, if you have the original digital recording on file then there is no excuse for not maintaining a complete catalogue of release.
 
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