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

Didn’t he recently tweet that something from MoFi was digital? Got a lot of flack and deleted it.

 

I was thinking the same thing.

 

Not to me. Speakers Corner and MOV pressings cost far less and are flawless and dead quiet... every time.

 

I’m agreeing with you. I think SuperVinyl is absurd.

 

Mofi 0-1 Steps, ammirite?

 

This is why we all need to get onboard with T-Bone Burnett’s new format.

 

MoFi One Step (That We’ll Tell You About)

 

I've always understood "Original Master Recording" to be just that. So for me the lack of transparency is an issue. I have some wonderful sounding MFSL records but this news on a legacy brand (with a premium price point) is not what you want.

 

I never really looked into the one-steps, but have a bunch of the “Gain 2 Ultra Analog”. In my opinion their lawyer would need to get pretty creative to claim that their marketing material isn’t saying that they cut from tape…


The GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system is comprised of a Studer™ tape machine with customized reproduction electronics* and handcrafted cutting amps that drive an Ortofon cutting head on a restored Neumann VMS-70 lathe. (*It is worth noting that independent studies have confirmed that the GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system can unveil sonic information all the way up to 122kHz!)

First and foremost, we only utilize first generation original master recordings as source material for our releases. Our lacquers are then plated in a specialized process that protects transients in the musical signal. (Due to this process, there may be occasional pops or ticks inherent in initial play back, but as the disc is played more, a high quality stylus will actually polish the grooves and improve the sound). We further ensure optimum sound quality by strictly limiting the number of pressings printed for each release. These limited editions, in addition to being collectors' items, ensure that the quality of the last pressing matches the quality of the first.

 

Ultimately, yes. And I'm not one of those people who think if there's a little digital dabbling it makes the product poo. But I think just from a transparency and advertising standpoint it's a big deal. I think this issue is less about the sound quality per se and more about truth in advertising (or truth in what your advertising is implying).

 

For sure, you have to know how to read that stuff. My issue with it in the case of MFSL is the pricing.

 

Chad at AP watching the troubles swirling around MoFi:

 

He did leave a comment

 

I definitely am not paying $125 each for Van Halen digital pressings. Aside from that, I find it odd that many aaa reissues on majors (not licensed for boutique audiophile labels) choose not to clearly advertise “this is an all analog reissue from the master tapes” or something similar. My thought is that they don’t want to make common or new buyers aware of the difference. They also don’t mind that many informed collectors” also end up buying reissued with a digital step or two without realizing it. One way or another, I think the industry is headed that way. The tapes won’t last forever, the Universal fire destroyed lord knows how many essential albums and aaa pressings will be much more expensive over the years due to aaa pressings truly being a finite thing. Add to that the fact that the vast majority of new music is recorded digitally, and that means aaa reissues becoming more expensive like the one steps or HQR pressings in limited batches.

 

That’s kind of crazy if it is digital considered the insanely high praise I’ve heard about it.

 

Where?

 

In the comments section of Mike's video. He is "tracking angle" now.

 

Very mixed feelings, as others have said. My smallish collection of MoFi vinyl (and a few SACDs) is excellent and I'm glad to have them.

On the other hand I'm chronically allergic to the slavish devotion for MFSL on this forum and the constant drumbeat of brand loyalty and declarations of sonic superiority that dominates here — they're the number-one poster child for the luxe audiophile treatment. The sting people are feeling in the face of these allegations is about the part of that pitch that implies authentic sourcing directly from analog masters — AAA without digital "impurities."

My somewhat jaundiced view is that what MFSL is selling is not necessarily the absolute *best* sound quality, but instead a house sound that flatters audiophile taste and targets audiophile preferences with cunning precision. That's the product. It's often quite wonderful, but digital steps or no digital steps, it's already something of a manipulated, carefully sculpted aural concoction. Not some perfectly pure ideal reflection of a neutral process.

 

I only care to the degree they are being deceptive. Otherwise, if it sounds good, it sounds good.

 

Exactly! The "one dimensional glassy brittleness" would have been obvious.

 

Exactly . These are still incredible sounding pressings, let’s be real. I’m not gonna stop buying mofi because their sourcing isn’t AAA. Whatever theyre doing sounds incredible I don’t think anyone can deny

 

Oh he charges quite a premium. He was the most expensive store in town when I lived there (3.5 years ag0). He has a great selection though. Another record store owner told me he had to ban him from his store because he would walk in and buy all the "good stuff" and take it to his store and mark it up for resale. His MOFI prices were higher than the Music Direct website. But he does clean his records for sale and has an incredible sound system in his store.

 

Would it not be an extremely laborious process to run a master tape x amount of times to produce new lacquers for one steps? It would not be surprising if they made a DSD file from the tapes and did it that way.

 

100% correct. It does matter. If Mofi is charging a premium for an analogue product, I have a certain expectation that the product is all analogue. If there’s a digital step involved, their prices shouldn’t be as high as they are.

Boy does it matter.

 

This comment sums it up perfectly.