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

Guess he's 'just another sad old man...'
Certainly not a journalist, more a (lack of) influencer.
BTW - was Bowie's 'Golden (Y)ears' ever given the mofi-makeover?

 

She seems like an extremely nice person, who loves vinyl.

There are lots of YouTubers who started out posting mainly personal videos about records they bought,
and things they like to collect. As these channels have grown more popular on the platform, it seems
like there is an expectation they become "content providers" to a wider audience of followers.
I don't know if that's why everyone gets into this hobby.

 

If you want to give Michael Fremer credit for his time served in the audio industry...absolutely!
If you want to give Michael Fremer credit for establishing a rapport with his readership....definitely!
If you want to give Michael Fremer credit for building trust amongst his readership over the years...no question!
If you want to give Michael Fremer credit for elevating ad rates for the publications which have employed him over the years, based upon the eyes he has brought to the hobby...By all means!

But, PLEASE...folks, stop acting as though he is Bob Woodward.

He's not an investigative journalist...he's not on the front lines in a place like Kabul, the Mekong, or Baghdad.

He's a subjective reviewer, an opinion writer and, an editorializer.

Does that make him a poor writer, a terrible person, or, a non-professional? Of course not!

What he is someone who is a long-standing member of an ever-shrinking circle of predominately men who created, propped up, and perpetuated an industry based upon a hobby, and, for that, there is undoubtedly a certain amount of credit due, but, please, let's stop pretending he is anything but.

I'm sorry for prattling on, and, I'm done posting about this, but, please, let's get a little perspective here.

 

Breaking Bernie?

 

Yeah, she strikes me as a kind lady who's really into records. A unique voice in the otherwise male dominated area. I can't speak to the allegations that she pumped Mofi into the secondary market stratosphere.

 

No need to go there.

We agree his methods are wrong, but let's not get ageist

 

Channeling your inner Fremer.

 

I noticed the Clapton Unplugged 1step on a local store shelf the other day. $175. That's a lot of money.

 

Bullseye.

 

Wondering whether Mike E will be able to retain his MoFi dealer status after all of this.

 

How did you deduce only one source common to all those interviewed?

 

yikes. what a disservice to melinda.

 

Well, somebody should inform all the major dictionary publishers.

Anyway, I did not mean to divert the conversation this much.

 

While I normally find Fremer entertaining and kind of charming, I have to agree he doesn’t come out looking great in this situation.

 

It would worse if Mike severed it.
MOFI would be foolish to, especially if Mike keeps selling them because "they sound great no matter how they are made".

 

I agree. However, pulling his dealership might be the price he pays for showing us the digital behind the analog curtain.

 

At this point, Mofi is going to need all the points of sale they can get.

 

Foreigner

PACKED WITH ANTHEMIC CLASSIC ROCK HITS AND HEROIC GUITAR RIFFS

1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 64


Double Vision

THE EPITOME OF CATCHY, PUNCHY, MEMORABLE ALBUM ORIENTED 70S ROCK

1/4" / 15 IPS analog master direct to lathe


Head Games

FOREIGNER'S EDGIEST, HEAVIEST, HARDEST-HITTING ALBUM

1/4" / 15 IPS analog master direct to lathe



Foreigner - 4

#1 ALBUM TEEMS WITH HITS: "URGENT," "WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU," "JUKE BOX HERO"

1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 64

 

I think it is an interesting chapter in MoFi"s legacy. However, I think your take on the reason this was done is a bit short sighted. Don't you think someone who drives business from YouTube videos and other self promotion figures this would skyrocket his name, his business, and revenue? Not saying there's anything wrong with that whatsoever. But to say that he did this just for the good of his customers and that he went against his monetary interests?? He's going to sell even more AAA vinyl than he ever has after this. Sure he's a known commodity in our little corner of the world. But this is like David (in his best store t-shirt) taking on Goliath. People eat that up (600 pages later). But for this, would WaPo ever care about him and give him broad national exposure?

Anyway, I'm all for transparency in the products sold to us. Whether it's a digital or analog source isn't going to kill me, so whatever. If it sounds good to MY ears on MY rig, and there's no denying that many of MoFis releases sound really really good and certainly a worthwhile purchase if a clean original cannot be found, then whether it has a digital transfer in the chain, I could care less. But it is nice that they're handling their transgressions with transparency, albeit very belated. Most businesses would just tell its customers nothing but spin.

 

Watching videos of people talking about records < Listening to actual records.

 

Completely Agree. So do some of these treasured mofi recordings that some people suddenly no longer sound good? I'm a huge fan of Plangent already so I am not necessarily an analog purist. I do like what analog offers but continued improvements for me are always welcome. (Such as Plangent). Granted some improvements in one area can lead to detriments in another. What is an issue is not understanding the true provenance of the recording outputs. I do think Mofi is doing the right thing now by updating the full provenance to most of their vinyl on the website.

With that being said and being a bit OCD I looked up what I already own

Album: Pre Announcement Opinion: Confirmed Provenance:
Grateful Dead Working Mans Dead 45 RPM Absolutely the greatest version I own by far! So good I didn't bother with the 50th 1/4" / 15 IPS / Dolby A analog master direct to lathe
Jefferson Airplane Surrealistic Pillow Mono 45 RPM Stunning and best version I have heard 1/4" / 15 IPS analog mono master to DSD 256
Big Brother and The Holding Company Cheap Thrills 45 RPM Absolute stunner and best version I have heard 1/4" / 15 IPS analog copy to DSD 256
Love Forever Changes 45 RPM Love it but I have never heard any other versions 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256
Grateful Dead Mars Hotel 45 RPM Does some things in the high end really well however I still prefer original pressing due to the original pressing super sweet midrange 1/4" / 15 IPS analog copy to DSD 256
ABB Eat A Peach (2013) 45 RPM Love it. Super sweet midrange and overall better imo than an original pressing Not listed on website


The question becomes do I love most these because they are 45 RPM and they could sound even better without the DSD step or not? As the 45 RPM is another variable. Regardless other than Mars Hotel I still find all that I own to be the best versions.

 

And boy, did these stink! No idea why and I don't care. In this instance, the original pressings were infinitely superior in every way. Ironically, I haven't compared the 2 analog ones. Experiencing the poor S/T and "4" was enough for me so I gave up on getting the other 2.

 

"It’s the biggest debacle I’ve ever seen in the vinyl realm,” says Kevin Gray

(And Id imagine Kevin has seen some doozies in his decades behind the scenes!)


----------------------


Syd Schwartz, Mobile Fidelity’s chief marketing officer, made an apology.

“Mobile Fidelity makes great records, the best-sounding records that you can buy,” he said. “There had been choices made over the years and choices in marketing that have led to confusion and anger and a lot of questions, and there were narratives that had been propagating for a while that were untrue or false or myths. We were wrong not to have addressed this sooner"

(Syd...that isnt an apology. Weak sauce.

What untrue myths and narratives?

They were all true.

These guys and their double speak. I swear. Makes me nauseous.

Oh, is that Brad Miller rolling in his grave? Look Syd!)

--------------------------

One of the reasons they want to excoriate MoFi is for lying,” says Howarth. “The other part that bothers them is that they’ve been listening to digital all along and they’re highly invested in believing that any digital step will destroy their experience. And they’re wrong.”

(Pretty much sums it up for me)

 

Best moment in the article IMO (also what I've personally been getting at all this time):

“One of the reasons they want to excoriate MoFi is for lying,” says Howarth. “The other part that bothers them is that they’ve been listening to digital all along and they’re highly invested in believing that any digital step will destroy their experience. And they’re wrong.”

And so a new question emerges: All other things equal including price, would you rather have a product that

A) you prefer and has a digital step or
B) you don't prefer and is all-analog?

(This is not to suggest that everyone agrees the MoFi stuff is the best sounding, of course.)

The suspicion at this point can't help but be that many audiophiles prioritize their principles of collecting over their actual listening experience. In these cases, of course, the long-touted popular phrase "the music is the most important thing" comes seriously into question. How many will claim they are boycotting MoFi because they lied when in actuality they are equally or perhaps even more upset with the fact that their precious MoFi's do not uphold their all-analog audiophile principles?

In the end, I question how much audiophiledom is really about the listening experience vs. how much it is about concepts like image, inclusion, purity, and elitism. That is the big takeaway for me. I have always questioned these things but now there is some pretty strong evidence to support that hypothesis.

 

Plus this…


Billy Joel - Turnstiles

SOURCED FROM ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES: EXPERIENCE THE ORCHESTRAL SWEEP, RAVISHING POIGNANCY LIKE NEVER BEFORE

1/4" / 30 IPS / Dolby A analog master to DSD 64