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

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Ben Adams, Jul 14, 2022.

  1. brimuchmuze

    brimuchmuze Forum Resident

    I wonder if some people will ever be able to listen to their MoFi's again. There is going to be a lot of anger and anguish when the needle drops. They will never sound the same.
     
    Kyhl, Jam757, Nielsoe and 3 others like this.
  2. 4-2-7

    4-2-7 Forum Resident

    Location:
    SF Peninsula
    Go to the one step thread they are in a disbelief but conversely are justifying their beliefs, at leat the ones that are hard core AAA only. Lots of back peddling going on and trying to wiggle out of past post and say they have no same analog copy to compare to, if they did no doubt it would sound better. But the funny thing is some are on record saying they didn't like the very few titles that where done AAA. But then you have a big group that no matter what new MFSL record they play is the best copy ever made. Some of these guys I would know what they were going to post after getting it and listening, prior to them receiving it. :D
     
    Kyhl, sunspot42, kt66brooklyn and 2 others like this.
  3. Dougthesnail

    Dougthesnail The Big Gabagool

    Location:
    Winnipeg
    It was DSD transfers of their own stuff
     
  4. I've got dozens of MOFI's but no one steps. I often remark how they can breathe new life into problematic recordings that I know well. I'm listening to the recent mofi 33 of ELO's Eldorado as we speak and I think this is what I have come to expect from this company. I can sell or give away my 2 NM originals and not loose any sleep.

    So on that level I hope they keep doing what they do..but with full disclosure now please.

    As far as one steps go, never bought one and now likely never will. I look at the privateers listing their Abraxas one steps and I can't help but think..jeez MOFI have the file locked and loaded so at this point and now that everything is more or less out in the open what's stopping them from just doing another one step Abraxas every 10 years? And besides, really the only people who might end up getting butt hurt on a one step Abraxas at this point are the privateers so $cruw those clowns.
     
    kt66brooklyn and DaveyF like this.
  5. Merrick

    Merrick The return of the Thin White Duke

    Location:
    Portland
    Then I’m bummed they had to close it down.
     
  6. Sam

    Sam Senior Member

    Location:
    Rochester, NY
    Candy -o was one of the mofi records that I once owned that was nowhere near as good as my original. Same with Street Survivors. Terrible when compared to an original.
     
    kt66brooklyn likes this.
  7. DaveyF

    DaveyF Forum Resident

    Location:
    La Jolla, Calif
    My MoFI copy of Simon and Garfunkel Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme is definitely a better sounding recording than my original pressing. No question. However, what occurs to me is that I am listening to a new piece of vinyl and a digital file that has cleaned up some of the 'distortion' artifacts that were common back in the day. As such, the MoFi record sounds better. Like I stated before, what this would have sounded like if they used the original AAA master is unknown, it could have been better---or worse?? Not the issue with regards to the ethics and so on, but an interesting aside.
     
    Big Blue, Tullman and kt66brooklyn like this.
  8. mpayan

    mpayan A Tad Rolled Off

    Honestly, if they are identical, wouldnt really matter to me. My built in AAA switch would probably pick analogue. Doesnt mean that it is a rational choice though.
     
    Merrick likes this.
  9. Thanks for the tip, Tom. I’m out on the MoFi sleeves. We will likely find out that the MoFi sleeves have been made from the finest sounding and smoothest grains of sandpaper or plutonium. I’ll grab a pack of QRP sleeves the next time I’m in need.

    Cheers,

    Bill
     
  10. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    I see the poll as changed here. In the real world a dent on the car, drive on.
     
  11. Tommyboy

    Tommyboy Senior Member

    Location:
    New York
    He does this stuff in other threads too. This time he substituted the word audiophile. The ignore button works for me.
     
    dkmonroe likes this.
  12. EdogawaRampo

    EdogawaRampo Senior Member

    Between 2016 and 2019 MoFi pressed 62,000 one-steps. 479 members voted "no" to all or no to one-steps thus far. That's 0.77%. Not quite huge blow territory yet I don't think.
     
    Kyhl, folkfreak and hronists like this.
  13. Bill Hart

    Bill Hart Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin
    The current economic climate is not conducive to extravagant purchases. I assume that those who spend for a One Step are either making a special effort to buy what they think is the "best" or it is, for some purchasers, not a big deal and they will buy regardless of all of this controversy, assuming they know about it. I have no crystal ball to predict sales; MoFi will know before we do, based on orders and cancellations; they will act accordingly, but my sense, based on how this has unfolded, is that they are not necessarily attuned to the sensibility of those who feel betrayed; in fact, they seem to believe in what they are doing-fine; and the rest: the misrepresentations that were overt, as well as the general impression of tape >lacquer, based on their materials, is what it is and MoFi have told us, the consumer perception is the problem, not what the company did and said.
    That's fine with me. In light of what the company has made known, as well as how they have responded to the expose, I can act accordingly. That is going to be different for each person, based on their individual sensibility. I won't try to convince you, one way or the other. I am disappointed by the company, as well as by how they have handled this, and that will inform my future buying behavior. How others act, or perceive this, is not something I want to influence. To each, their own.
     
  14. Sex Lies And Master Tapes

    Sex Lies And Master Tapes Gaulois réfractaire

    Location:
    Nantes, France
    I guess you understand that your comparison makes no sense... ;)
     
  15. EdogawaRampo

    EdogawaRampo Senior Member

    Then let me help. Assume MoFi continues one-step releases during the next 3 years at the same pace it did during the 3-year period 2016-2019 and in the same production numbers. Assume, for the moment, the numbers of people saying 'no' to all things MoFi or 'no' to one-steps in the poll remains constant. The result is a 0.77% "huge blow" to their sales figures.

    What I'm pointing out is that our niche cohort here is a fraction of the public that buys Mofi product and that it remains to be seen whether or not poll sentiment will be representative of the entire market. I'd say it's far too early to tell. MoFi's behavior has certainly pissed people off badly. Whether the current level of opprobrium is maintained remains to be seen.
     
    folkfreak likes this.
  16. I found a copy of Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits at a used book store this weekend. I purchased it primarily for the original poster, which is incredibly cool.

    After a serious cleaning, I also did a comparison between this old-school compilation and my MoFi 45 RPM version, which I eagerly bought at the time.

    The MoFi sounds nice—clear and vibrant. The OG sounds incredible; it’s three-dimensional and jumps out of my speakers. It’s coming down to flipping the side every 7-10 minutes versus a little bit of crackle between songs. I thank goodness that I didn’t blow $200+ on MoFi’s digital rendition of Desire!

    The $30 old-school copy that needed a cleaning and holds a $100+ poster in NM condition is the bargain over the $60+ MoFi that should have a repro poster and needs to be flipped every 7-10 minutes.

    I’m not saying that MoFi doesn’t make nice-sounding reissues. I am stating that the OG’s (or something similar) are likely better, cooler, and more affordable. It’s definitely all-analog this time. In the case of Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits, it’s a no-brainer.

    It Ain’t Me Babe,

    Bill
     
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2022
  17. mpayan

    mpayan A Tad Rolled Off

    While I wouldnt pay $200.00 for Desire, the Mofi 45 and even the sacd is one of the better improvements. Now mind you that one can only polish a turd so much (sound quality, not music) but I have several different copies of Desire and the Mofi is definitley an inprovement IMO.

    I havent heard the GH's Mofi. I do have an og, but I dont recall it being anything special.

    Would you mind sharing your runout groove info on the lp?
     
  18. sunspot42

    sunspot42 Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco
    Only it wasn't. Love Over Gold came late enough that it could easily have gone thru a digital delay on the way to having the lacquer cut, even if the entire recording and the master tape were all analog.

    A bunch of "vintage" vinyl that people think was "all analog" actually wasn't. A ton of stuff post-1979 or so went thru a digital delay prior to being cut. This includes titles that pre-date 1979 but were cut and pressed after 1979.
     
  19. highfell

    highfell Forum Resident

    LOL

    Do you actually know how polls work ?

    And as an aside, you have also assumed that no one buys more than one MOFI ever.
     
  20. Sex Lies And Master Tapes

    Sex Lies And Master Tapes Gaulois réfractaire

    Location:
    Nantes, France
    My turn to help you. Your comparison is invalid because the poll is biaised first.
    So any extrapolation is biaised too.
     
    CBackley likes this.
  21. Tullman

    Tullman Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    He said in his latest interview with 45rpm on 45rpm’s VC. Look it up.
     
    Curiosity likes this.
  22. JFSebastion

    JFSebastion Forum Resident

    Location:
    Maricopa Arizona
    I have an original too. Still curious about their pathway on it. DSD or no.
     
  23. Tullman

    Tullman Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    And the vinyl is noisy as hell.
     
  24. ILoveLucille

    ILoveLucille The infernal desire machines of Dr Steve Hoffman

    Location:
    Savior's Compound
    I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has an original Desire they believe sounds better than the Mofi...
     
  25. Beach House

    Beach House Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    If you need to spend money on inners anyway, give these a try, yes they are more expensive but they are significantly better than the other two for ease of opening, inserting into jacket and eliminating static. And they hold their shape better in the long run.

    diskeeper ultimate audiophile inner sleeve
     
    Bill Why Man likes this.

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