Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab has been cutting vinyl from digital since a long, long time ago...

Gosh that’s a serious amount of money with duty on top. Have you cancelled for sonic reasons or because they didn’t say it like it is?. I’m guessing you must have been happy before all this came out to invest such sums on imported pressings?. Can I ask if they said ok we will refund all you have paid for your previous albums would you take it. I am not in your league (can’t afford to buy them more than one occasionally), but have about 30 Mofi and wouldn’t part with any of them digital or otherwise?.

 

He probably knew that's when the writing was on the wall and he would look like a fool if he was alone in panning them. So, yes, he was smart enough to be honest in that case. But, he also betrayed his own beliefs that help pay his bills.

 

So at end of the day... who is legit?
Analogue Productions?

 

Good. People keep getting bent out of shape about my viewing this but I was really responding to the self absorbed people wishing for the company to go under. Let them try to correct course and earn trust back or accept that digital is taking over and maybe start buying again, or don’t.

But wishing for the company to go under is akin to a teenage temper tantrum in my opinion.

 

That’s fair. If one of the smaller ones is able to step up that would be great. But if they can’t, losing a MOFI could have a huge impact.

 

Until proven otherwise, i guess, yes...

 

The boys at MoFi are kicking themselves for announcing 40,000 Thrillers all at once. Maybe MoFi had to have everything pressed and offered for sale by a certain amount of time (Jackson/Sony agreement). The 40,000 one steps got the ball rolling.

 

I’ve cancelled on principle, but also because $125 on a digitally sourced OneStep is madness.

Most, but not all, of the orders were through Music Direct - you pay at the point of dispatch. The few MoFi preorders were refunded without issue.

I wouldn’t sell my existing copies on principle - where I enjoy them, I’ll continue to do so. However, where I am able to source a better pressing, I’ll sell on the MoFi: I’ve no interested in being a collector or completist.

In terms of custom charges: I had a brief period where I got lucky, only now I get hit every time

 

If SUnday at the Village Vanguard is actually ANALOG
It has terrible mastering choices
The AP version is more natural and engaging sounding

When Mike Esposito asked the Mofi Engineers which One Steps were digital they quickly said all of them.

Good point on Columbia and DSD64

Not only did these guys lie
They made no effort to go out and create or acquire the highest DSD sampling

No effort

It is as if they rested on a reputation that they built up many years through a very clever marketing scheme

Kevin Grey sad he can pick out a 2x DSD all the time and says 4x DSD is getting close but he can still sense something in the recording

I’ve had the same issue with cancelling orders
It keeps not recognizing my account, after I am in, wants a PW reset, then I am in, then to send the form it locks back up
I sent an email with all the order #s
What to cancel
What I still want

 

Let’s hope nothing else unexpected comes out, but AP’s numbers have been gradually increasing to significant levels since the Miles Davis KOB. But I trust Chad to deliver what his company is named after.

 

Quite a few actually, Sam Records, Blue Note Tone Poets, Speakers Corner, just to name a few. A.P. is still my favorite though!

 

$125 for an analogue sourced one step madness too

 

Ha! Let’s just say that this episode has reformed me somewhat and so I am coming around to your way of thinking.

 

My takeaway from all this. It further confirms that there is no audible difference between digital and analog, when all other factors are equal. This agrees with countless double-blind scientific tests that confirm not only is digital good enough, but that redbook audio was enough.

However - put down your pitchforks and hear me out - I actually think this makes MoFi's deception even more egregious. Since nobody can hear the difference, it is even more important that companies like MoFi are honest in how they present the music.

If the source audio being analog or PCM or DSD is virtually irrelevant to the final sound - again, as every double-blind scientific test confirms - then it is the mastering and production processes that are the critical components. And these are the places MoFi has done truly incredible work, especially with this new one-step series. By implying the source audio is the most important part of the chain, MoFi has devalued the real and tangible contributions they've made the improving audio quality. And needlessly destroyed their reputation.

 

Agreed. I own 2 One Steps and 2 UHQR’s. While they are nice, the cost is exorbitant. The Tone Poets and BN80’s are the best value out there. Sam Records well worth it too if you can land them while still in print.

 

Rights holders probably would have agreed to a higher number. All of this is negotiated at the very beginning. It’s my understanding that the reissue label can’t go back to the rights holders and say, “Well, we didn’t need all these copies after all. We only sold half that number and want a refund.” Once the agreement has been negotiated, the label has a fixed cost for the agreed number. Therefore, they need to be careful not to license more copies than they can sell. In this case, MoFi knew what the licensing costs were for a certain number of copies (as well as all other costs involved) and estimated they could sell X number of copies at a certain price point.

 

Huge mis-step on their part driven by greed. I really hope it doesn’t sink them. While I understand peoples positions on boycotting etc. that’s not the position I will take. I will continue to support them based on the high sound quality of the finished product. I “only” have between 30-40 MFSL titles and personally don’t feel particularly cheated in any way. Again only my position and I respect others opinions.

 

Actually, no I'm not like you and this is not to be offensive but I've been buying and collecting records for most my life with some breaks here and there. I've only been using computers since the end of 2010 so I could be a late bloomer at that. But I found out about RL copies of records before I could actually learn from others or even share it with others on anything other than talking to friends. I never went to seek one out and the ones I have I might have paid a $1.00 for as they were probably bought used. This specific album came out when I wa 8 years old so I didn't buy the RL new as new and the time of buying new records would have been reissues.

However buying used records through the mid and late 80s all the way up to today at very cheap prices gives one the opportunity to compare records and decide what sounds better to you. I can understand with people just starting out, no good record stores around them they might not be able to get 10 used same titles and sample what sounds best to them because the prices of them. Not to mention getting nice copies of records takes a very long time, it doesn't happen overnight, and definitely not when you're actually looking for a title.

What I mean by this it take time and opportunity buying of used records, you have a great one until you accidentally run across a better one, one in better condition, one that's older, one that's sealed, one that is a first pressing, one from other countries and on and on. It takes years to accumulate used records and it just can't be accomplished over night.

These Edgar Winter's are all RL copies


But I like all records and continue to buy them regardless if I already have the title. These photos are somewhat old and I probably have more now.







With new records I'm the same way, I don't buy them because anyone recommended them. I buy them if I like the music and when I get the chance to listen to it I decide if I like the sound quality of it and I'll have other same titles to compare to.

 

I don't think you have to worry about MFSL sinking.

 

Oh yes, I know. I have been a viewer of his channel since it began and have seen numerous gushing positive reviews of MoFi pressings by him. I have even bought an album out of my wheel house based on his recommendation, Living Stereo - Bolero, and thought it was terrible.

My point is that on this one, Marvin Gaye One Step and Folk Singer he picks up on something that is digital on the one step pressings, not on which one he preferred. On the latter ones someone said don’t trust him he already knew they were digital and now on this one someone critiques his lack of an English vocabulary. I hope in all that noise we are not missing the point.

 

Great collection!
How many of those Tusk's are translucent? I'm just curious- I didn't think Quiex or one it's variants started in 79. I have a Perry cut on the stuff.

 

It’s not his English vocabulary,
He has no problems hanging with the big guns

It’s his lack of knowledge of audio technology and hearing and describing something in general sound vocabulary terms
That’s not a language barrier but one of understanding.
He has no experience and uses terms improperly

Nice enough guy

Maybe someone could send him Joe Hartley’s Guide to HiFi book

 

Bingo.....winner winner

It was the 1980 Live record that first used the Quiex II, and FM prompted the formulation of Quiex II.
I have two of those, as far as Tusk, I'm sure there might be some later issues that were put on it, but I never looked for it on those copies, maybe I should.

 

Keep in mind that the study is only as good as the study design. By carefully selecting the study subjects you can get any outcome you want. I'm not saying that those double-blind studies were wrong--I'm not even familiar with them at all. Every study is biased in some way, intentionally or unintentionally. Even studies which have gone through peer review are suspect when the peer-review selection is biased. This is becoming a major problem now in my field, and puts into question the credibility of the "scientific community" as a whole, in my opinion, and it's a damn shame. I've given up my subscriptions to major medical journals because I'm afraid the selection of studies that are published is limited by bias, coming from the top, for reasons we can't and shouldn't discuss here. Saved me some money to buy MoFis. Burned again.

Take wine, whiskey, and cigars, for example. A study of random people is going to favor an outcome that says the high-dollar stuff just isn't worth it. But select the study population with experienced cigar smokers and wine tasters and you will see some significant differences in perceived quality.

I do not believe necessarily that trained ears can not detect the difference between digital and analog. I probably can't though. I certainly believe with high confidence that trained ears can detect redbook vs. SACD. Even I can. Take a random selection of people, however, and you won't find any perceived difference. Train them for cues, and you will.

 

that is serious passion!, how many albums in multiples like that do you have approximately?.