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

When i think back, (it's been a while). I was never sure where you were coming from. But after 'getting into it', i was first confused as to what you were after,
any level of 'proof' i could find seemed to be dismissed. Again, i ended up being wrong, but i actually appreciated being pushed to find more solid evidence,
(maybe that came across as 'passion') but like i said earlier, i did a post grad degree, and know what 'evidence' is, and made good faith efforts to find 'the truth'.
My conviction was based on being told from Mofi CS, without that, i would have conceded the easy to find public evidence for all-analog would have left room for doubt.

Anyway, I don't think we really disagree on much! I'm not analog purist when it comes to music in my own vinyl collection.

 

That is probably a good tip for the guy canceling his Mofi order.

I don’t love the LP enough to chase more copies and I need to sell this Mofi copy some time also.
I'll keep an eye out for KG. Wasn't even aware he touched this one.

 

You're right. Damn brainwashing again

 

Last week in Mike’s initial YT post he is forward with his questions / allegations but also mentions he could be wrong and these records sound wonderful In his second YT release he mentions that he will be going to California to visit MoFi. His tone has changed and is nearly all focused on Mofi makes great sounding records but let’s look into it

From what I see in the invite MoFi and Mike came t0 a decision for an interview under terms of limited exposure.
Each side was given assurences.
Mike DSD, Mofi - explain our process and side of the story

They all sit down, withing the first minute it is mentioned that they are using a digital DSD process.
There is a pause (ok we have disclosed the source)
The focus then shifts to the merits and sound quality of this process.
All sifes are cordial, Mike allows Mofi to save some face and compliments them on their sound while also getting them to mention other lps which used DSD.

It is effective

Mofi makes no commitments on how they will list / market the pressing process


I hope Mike E shows major restraint and let’s the outside clatter of this issue receed for a while and doesn’t respond to those who attacked him before and after his quest to find out.


In the end it is all about the music
How it sounds

Unfortunately some poor business practices have led to all this

 

He has the contacts and the platform, he could have done the same thing as Mike E at any point.

A great way to launch his new site would be to interview the engineers and get more detail.

 

I'll probably be the only one who'll post a mea culpa, but here goes...

I was one who thought @The 'In' Groove had posted rather baseless accusations in what seemed at the time (to me) in a haphazard sort of way. Being used nowadays to the unverified sources bit, I assumed this was yet another instance of someone publishing yet another video with a controversial statement merely for views and since I despise the practice, I didn't shy away from posting my opinion about it... repeatedly, poking fun at it, even.

What I wasn't expecting is a number of developments such as a few people in the industry insinuating or coming right out and saying that this was more or less a known secret, that an interview was going to be given on the topic, and that major bombshells were going to be (reluctantly) dropped by a label clearly trying to minimize the damage after being found out.

Because of Mike's efforts, this is now out in the open. How this will affect the market remains to be seen but not only has this allowed me to make more informed purchase decisions in the future, it has led me to lose a massive amount of trust in MFSL with regards to so many things (ranging from lying to outright ripping people off for many years!) while simultaneously gaining a great amount of respect for Mike who raised a taboo subject out in the open after initially getting the runaround by MFSL, paying his own way to get an in-person interview, and officially uncovering what can be considered the biggest scandal in the audiophile hobby in recent history.

So to Mike, I apologize for wrongfully assuming the worst in your intentions and thank you for your passion and willingness to pay out of your own pocket your own way for our benefit. I always pride myself in being unafraid of admitting when I'm wrong and am gladly chomping down on a nice serving of crow. Pass the salt.

​

 

I remember this.

All I can say is WTF.

 

The DSD4X is their preferred method.

It would cloud it but they admit at least once that working off the DSD is their method. AZMike even asks that even if they could use analog they prefer the DSD and they say yes.

 

And if he knew, what does that say about Fremer himself. A jealous boast or a company shrill. Another question might be, Did Fremer know ERC is crap but went along with that too. A disturbing trend if true.

 

I watched the interview again with Mike @ In Groove, while I believe these engineers are great guys, do great work and do as they're told I honestly believe that they truly believe DSD is the best way to go to get the best results, even over keeping it all analog with a copy tape, they doubled down on that in the interview.

I watched the interview again with Mike @ In Groove, while I believe these engineers are great guys, do great work and do as they're told. Judging by what they said in the interview I think that all three of them truly believe DSD is the best way to go to get the best results, even over keeping it all analog with a copy tape, they doubled down on that in the interview. I'm in no position to say they're wrong but I believe they're totally bought in to the DSD process.

 

Yes watched it again too and you can tell theyre all in on the DSD yielding the best results. Even Mike asking them even though they could use analog in some cases they prefer the DSD and they say yes.

 

I don’t agree that AAA is a literal interpretation of the masthead.

 

Sorry a time for a pass has past with me. Graceful? Really ? If someone is in on a lie and then when light is shone on MOFI and maybe others ( ERC ? ) . Where is the Grace in that?

 

No but directly mastered from the OMR is a fair literal interpretation. Thats not even correct. Forget AAA. You're not even getting your vinyl sourced directly from the OMR. So how can they have the masthead on the top or claim in their 1S lit that it is sourced directly from the OMR? They cant. Its not.

 

Good man

 

That’s why I wrote “as per definition”. And not “paid journalists are no journalists if…”
They, nevertheless, haven’t learned it by scratch (as opposed to other people in the business).

And I also wouldn’t say that journalists who are unemployed at the moment are no “real” journalists .

 

Have a nice vendetta. I'm not in to punishing Fremer b/c he "in on it." The ERC thing is another matter-- why is Fremer responsible for their product? He may be difficult, annoying even, but explain why he is culpable, please.

 

For some, any digital presence in the recording chain is akin to contamination. So even though those recordings were great a few days ago, they may now be heretical.

 

If you take the OMR out of the chain there is nothing to master. The masthead says only that the OMR is the source for what they do. That email up the chain says the same thing.

 

The opinions of the reviewers in the videos are irrelevant to the fact of matter. The fact that a $150.00 one step box set is really cut from a digital master.

My guess is that they’re using a 4x DXD Pyramix system for transfers/editing etc before cutting.

You wouldn’t see this happening with an AP UHQR LP. If it did, I’m pretty sure they’d tell you about it, or not release it at all.

I can see the Silver Series, the regular MFSL and OMR LP’s for the $20-$50.00 prices, but for a high $$$ release, a DSD file transfer isn’t going to cut it, just for the very *point of that fact*, unless the master was digital to begin with.

This has nothing to do with how they sound, and everything about misrepresentation of a deluxe package that retails for a lot of cash for some listeners.

 

Fair enough! I wasn't as specific as I should have been. I meant that if someone had been an journalist but instead went into marketing or advertising or law enforcement or whatever - I would no longer call them a journalist. Whereas a doctor or lawyer who stop practicing are usually still considered doctors and lawyers.

But an educated and/or experienced journalist who is looking for work can fairly be called a journalist, I should say.

 

Sorry to clarify - I was referring to the 2017 video where SB says the system is analog and what I understood he intended that to mean then - not the AZMike video where the starting point for this discussion is clearly different.

 

It's not the basis for a class action (it's a private email, not marketing material) but IMO whomever was sent that email could file a meritorious claim if they wished.

 

My crystal ball predicts rather large legal expenses in the future of MoFi.

 

Odd that some people are frying in groove Mike for not being something he doesn't claim to be - an investigative journalist. And the guys from Mofi that appeared on the video are not the people to blame so why would he lean into them.

Strikes me they are just professional people doing the best job they can - someone else has made the decision to deceive their customers. If it is ripping a strip off someone accountable that is required then the investigative journo needs to get to the bottom of the decision process at Mofi not be sticking it to the poor guys that were put in front of the camera the other day.

IMO Mike did a great job in getting to the facts of the process of producing the product. For someone else to step up and find out why the company felt it was OK to let its customers believe it was doing things differently

By the way just in case I have got hold of the wrong end of the stick.. I haven't watched (and don't intend to) Mr Fremer's vid as I'm not a fan of his style