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. rnranimal

    rnranimal Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    Nah, it's not CD sound. Underneath the rumble and surface noise, there are frequencies humans can't hear!
     
  2. audiotom

    audiotom I can not hear a single sound as you scream

    Location:
    New Orleans La USA
    The pot is stirred yet again

    I don’t buy the deep throat reaching out to all the Mikes story that Fremer is NOW telling.

    First of all Fremer already has a close relationship with MoFI and the industry he would not want to see tarnished and he was waiting for permission regarding a second generation Thriller analog tape for the One Step

    Second Ludwigs is a noob to vinyl, read 10 pages on SHF about the obvious ramifications of 40k Thriller lacquer issues and if he were clearly contacted he would have a very hard time not showing it in his demeanor or content.

    Both of them would have commented sooner and certainly would have came clean the very minute they were attacking Mike right after his MoFi visit was broadcast and the whole DSD confirmation was out in the open.

    In Groove Mike showed great integrity amid harsh criticism and was able to get the pertinent information from the Mofi engineers even allowing them to tell their side of the story - why they use DSD. Mike stepped out, took great risk and was very professional in how he approached this.
    MoFI totally underestimated Mike and the scale of his internet platform.

    This Deep throat trifecta is ludicrous
    Does it really matter, No, But I don’t buy it for a second
     
    Doug_D, struttincool, Adagio and 9 others like this.
  3. folkfreak

    folkfreak The cold blooded penguin

    Location:
    Germany
    Yeah, everyone with a different opinion is a hater nowadays
     
  4. Joe Stark

    Joe Stark "Sad wanker" - Michael Fremer

    Location:
    Salt Lake City
    Calm down everyone we still need to hear from Malachi

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2022
    PB Point, Guss2, Twinsfan007 and 12 others like this.
  5. Kyhl

    Kyhl On break

    Location:
    Savage
    You're not. That assumptive connection is wrong.
     
    Whoopycat and 4-2-7 like this.
  6. recordhead

    recordhead Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kentucky
    [​IMG]
    fremer and his mini me
     
  7. Joe Stark

    Joe Stark "Sad wanker" - Michael Fremer

    Location:
    Salt Lake City
    He's jealous he didn't get the scoop. I trust our WaPo guy over MF any day. Sorry.

    Also, sounds like MF tried to browbeat the writer into changing the story. Ethics on display yet again.
     
    JFSebastion, Plinko, Fizzle and 11 others like this.
  8. audiotom

    audiotom I can not hear a single sound as you scream

    Location:
    New Orleans La USA
    If you are seeking out the analog Bill Evans Village Vanguard
    The Analog Productions Riverside 45 RPM all analog version sounds very natural
    Versus the Mofi ONE STEP whatever the source is.

    I heard they are re-releasing that boxset for the 4th time.
    Can’t recommend it highly enough for those interested in piano jazz trios, Bill Evans or superb lush jazz recordings

    And all 22 lps are only twice the cost of the MoFi One Step on the used market
     
  9. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    OJC vinyl, should be $15.00.
     
    Harrison, indyalden, DougT and 13 others like this.
  10. Ron13a

    Ron13a Forum Resident

    Location:
    Gastonia NC
    Thanks for the tip! I'm a buyer for that box set! I'll have to order extras for my store.
     
  11. Joe Stark

    Joe Stark "Sad wanker" - Michael Fremer

    Location:
    Salt Lake City
    Thanks for the heads up!
     
  12. audiotom

    audiotom I can not hear a single sound as you scream

    Location:
    New Orleans La USA
    I have one of those

    A very good pressing indeed
     
  13. Espen R

    Espen R Senior Member

    Location:
    Norway
    Probably. This is USA :winkgrin:
     
  14. Ron13a

    Ron13a Forum Resident

    Location:
    Gastonia NC
    Sir, I have the OJC. In your opinion, is that good enough? Would the Analog Productions be an improvement worthy of the extra cost?
     
  15. DaveyF

    DaveyF Forum Resident

    Location:
    La Jolla, Calif
    Fremer, if he is to be believed, seems to believe that MoFi pulled the wool over his eyes. Very possible, given their newly discovered ethics. Not wanting to spread rumors is fine, but some investigative 'journalism' ( a good term here) would have benefitted Fremer a great deal...the question becomes if he wanted to believe what was being formulated by Micheal Ludwig, Michael Esposito and probably a host of others, once the 40K number 'Thriller' release was publicized. I agree with him 100% when he discusses the fact that in the past, when listeners' (including myself) heard things that seemed 'off' with the particular MoFi release ( and there have been several instances of this) we would not automatically think 'digititis' as the company was insisting that they were using only AAA!! As such, we would put these 'peculiarities' down to something else, maybe like Fremer stated-- to EQ'ing, to a worn or damaged master tape, something else?? ( This is what has been the saving grace for MoFi for years, their ongoing, but consistent, dishonesty about their process!). This not only fooled the cognoscenti BUT everyone else as well...not because we could NOT hear something amiss ( we all COULD!) but because the reason that we were hearing what we were hearing was intentionally and dishonestly hidden from us.
     
  16. cwd

    cwd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Clarksville, TN
    for the briefest fraction of a second i thought this was the safety dance video
     
    timzigs, Mr. Bewlay, Muggles and 4 others like this.
  17. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    I think the XRCD is the best, personally. Piano is so hard to cut to lacquer, especially out of only one channel..
     
  18. DaveyF

    DaveyF Forum Resident

    Location:
    La Jolla, Calif
    For some unknown reason, XRCD is out of favor. Yet, IMHO, if your system is resolving enough it is still my favorite digital source, and in most cases by a country mile! Many of the XRCD's that I own sound at least on a par with their analog version and in some cases better. The best analog releases still better the XRCD's, but they have to be at the top of the chain in analog...anything below that and XRCD is the favorite.
     
    grx8, Brudr, Tullman and 3 others like this.
  19. Ron13a

    Ron13a Forum Resident

    Location:
    Gastonia NC
    Thanks. I'll hunt those down. From information on this forum and the ease of locating the goodies on Discogs, I have found so many wonderful versions of my favorite recordings. This is a great resource!
     
    MarkK and Joe Stark like this.
  20. DancingSea

    DancingSea Forum Resident

    Location:
    Maui, Hawaii
    Depends on the vantage point. From a denizen of the internet, absolutely.

    As MoFi running a business in need of damage control, it was a mess.
     
    Jasonbraswell and Tim 2 like this.
  21. Sex Lies And Master Tapes

    Sex Lies And Master Tapes Gaulois réfractaire

    Location:
    Nantes, France
    Thank you @Bill Hart for your kind words. :righton:
    For you guys who have come lately in the thread, you can check a first batch of 69 updated titles page 601. I will update it tomorrow sunday around 8 pm french time zone.
    Cheers.
    Got to go to work now.
     
    grx8, Twinsfan007, Bill Hart and 6 others like this.
  22. DaveyF

    DaveyF Forum Resident

    Location:
    La Jolla, Calif
    Steve, do you think this contributed to the problems that Rudy Van Gelder had when recording piano? Every time I listen to one of his fabulous recordings, I instantly hear where he had problems when it came to the piano. Everything else, he nailed, unfortunately not that instrument.
     
  23. Melele

    Melele Groover

    Location:
    Wanderland USA
    At the risk of being labeled a defender or apologist of Mr. Fremer, which seems to be a growing drumbeat on this thread (not singling out @playsFastForward or anyone else), some historical context might be useful. The audiophile media industry developed alongside the consumer hifi market, and that symbiotic relationship was and has been in the DNA from the outset. “Symbiotic” is NOT a code word for huckster, shill or bedfellow. It’s also not a gravy train for free stuff, as has been alleged. Consumer hifi writers needed to know who all the industry players were in loudspeakers, preamps, phono stages, acoustic treatment, tonearms, cartridges, vinyl products and manufacturing, etc. AND put products through the paces and review fairly their test results. Unfair claims of boosterism clouded the legitimate publication of product announcements in the same pages of the magazine, seemingly unable to distinguish between a press release and an independent product review. Note the use of the word “writers”. Well, writers are journalists and use the same style guides and adhere to the same journalistic standards and ethics as writers for other industry publications. That was the world of hifi media of the pre-internet era. Hifi consumers relied on reviews and industry news in the pages of those magazines to make purchase decisions. Retailers might give honest reviews, but they were in the business of selling gear so who should one trust when making purchase decisions? Hifi magazines served a crucial role in a high dollar market. That is the world Mike Fremer comes from. Today we have far more sources, much of it noise but also a lot of good, reliable signal. Hifi magazines are no longer the sole arbiters of audiophile products, yet there is nothing today comparable to the test labs and review practices of those publications.

    Whether you agree with that characterization or not, you probably know where this is going. Sometimes it’s hard to let go when a new paradigm emerges that gives, fairly or not, equal credence to “unvetted” sources for consumer purchase decisions. Surely other niche industries are going through the same shift, and their charismatic arbiters are likely feeling sidelined as a result. To Fremer’s credit, he has remained relevant and active in the new paradigm, despite critiques related more to style than substance. But the impulse to wade into this controversy under the mantle of experience, industry expertise and an authoritative voice is hard to resist, even when it may not be accepted by everyone.

    The paradigm shift broke open the audiophile industry and there are more players, more voices, more noise and more diverse opinions in the mix. Hifi journalism is a real thing, but for better or worse, it’s no longer the only thing.
     
  24. Victor Martell

    Victor Martell Forum Resident

    Not only that - we are falling again into "whataboutism" - whatever AZMike does in his actions does not change the truth.

    "Whataboutism" is not only intellectually lazy - it is vulgar.

    v
     
    no.nine and MonkeyTennis like this.
  25. MIOM

    MIOM Music Is Our Mind

    Location:
    United States
    XRCD's are great. I have a few including a couple Hiroko Kokubu (Japanese pianist) CD's. Love how clean, and spacious these CD's sound without any of the digital harshness.

    My favorite by far is Diana Krall's "The Look of Love". Her voice is so silky smooth on the XRCD edition compared to the standard release.
     

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