Mobile Fidelity MoFi Controversy - They Master From Digital!

I referred to this:

That is irrelevant.

I’m more interested in the converters involved… What ADC was used and what DAC…

More relevant to the discussion.

That is a typical example of DSD64 track. I don’t think you’ll find much variation here.

You only simulated a D to A output right?

What I asked is look at real-world DAC analogue outputs regarding the SACD spec you quoted.

Better results with DSD128… and in many cases even better with DSD256.

Ok Mobile Fidelity were perhaps a bit misleading.
When they started pressing their original master recordings in the late 70s it was pre-digital so all their records were AAA. Most record buyers probably assumed that was still the case now.

However nowhere on their records or marketing does it state the albums are AAA.
They cite that they source the original master tapes to make their recordings, but they don’t claim to cut from the analog master tapes.

Record companies have been making hi-res DSD digital master copies of their albums since the 80s to preserve old recordings. Many original master tapes from the 50s-70s are probably not in the greatest of condition. The bottom line is their recordings are generally regarded as being the best sounding records.

I can imagine if you’re a analog purist you might be unimpressed with the recent revelations about MOFI. Personally I’m all about the sound quality - don’t really care whether it’s digital or analog as long as it sounds good. My only real problem with MOFI is they charge like wounded bulls for their recordings - especially vinyl.

It was an outright lie. That is their problem now. They tried to hide the digital step in their production.
The whole fuss is not about digital vs analog or sound quality.

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For a cogent and exhaustive analysis of how MoFi outright lied, see this -

So many people, I think sometimes intentionally, miss this point.

This industry (equipment manufacturers being the prime example) is so full of lying :poop:s, that this is another straw on the camel’s back.

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Yes. When done right, simulations work pretty well. I have no reason to believe that a good DAC that supports direct DSD would output an analog signal whose spectrum was much different than in the graphs, before any analog low pass filtering.

That’s exactly the logic leading to DSD2048. It would be better than DSD256 for sure, just in a completely irrelevant way.

You haven’t done or seen enough real world measurements clearly , with real converters

If you’re going to stick to simulations, simulate everything.

Interface, clocking, analogue stage components and how they all perform at DSD2048 rates.

Have fun !

Article in Washington Post describes the fraud (paywall):
https://www.washingtonpost.com/music/2022/08/05/mofi-records-analog-digital-scandal/

Based on this, misleading and vague language are not appropriate terms. We should be clear and blunt in describing things. They lied. The “post-truth society” and “alternative facts” don’t hold up for me.

But beyond the impact on MoFi, I can imagine impact on analog lovers and hence other companies, whether honest or not.

Closing paragraph of the WaPo article:

And Randy Braun, a music lover, Hoffman message board member and lawyer in New York, hopes that, in the end, the MoFi revelation will prove what he’s been saying for years, that the anti-digital crowd has been lying to itself: “These people who claim they have golden ears and can hear the difference between analog and digital, well, it turns out you couldn’t.”

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A reply from Fremer about the mis-leading slants and outright lies in the WaPo article.

The concluding statement you quoted is just a snotty example of that. People have been negatively evaluating MoFi releases when compared to other pressings for years.

It doesn’t matter if it’s digital or analogue. If it ‘sounds good’, then it sounds good! :smiley:

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The pot calling the kettle black.

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This is ridiculous.
The story was not about Mike Esposito or about Mike Fremer.
It was about how a leading company in an industry has materially misrepresented their product for eleven years.

Fremer’s video is titled The Washington Post “Clickbait” Story Rebut.
And sure enough, at the end of his video, Fremer says I think it was a clickbait story. I think it misrepresents the facts about me which I do not like. And they refused to correct that fact.

IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU!

There is no debate about the material issues, nobody disputes that story, not even MoFi.

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You are very tolerant.
I’m not. If someone has lied to me, I don’t buy their product, I don’t vote for them

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Fremer is a tool and looking out for himself and his interests. He is NOT a friend of the hobby.

People have been touting the MoFi 1 steps for years. Most people tout the “Abraxas” 1 Step as the best record ever. Of course there are 1 Steps that people don’t like…but there are plenty that the vinyl crowd have expressed deep love.

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I don’t buy SACDs from MoFi because they are virtuous. When I buy a SACD from them it is because the SACD is the best mastering and the best sounding version of an album I can find.

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I’m not about to bin the more recent MoFi pressings I have. They do sound pretty good and that has not changed.

I agree that the crux of this whole thing is the obfuscation. The fact is that they did everything to suppress information or acknowledgement of the existence of a digital stage in their processes. There should be adequate commercial penance here and I expect the market will provide that justice.

Of course, I will be expecting the pricing to reflect the facts and if pricing is not revised downwards then I would be unlikely to buy from MoFi and would seek quality alternatives such as AP.

If their future releases have clear identification of the true processes used and the product sounds good, I see no reason to ignore the offering. Although I will probably look at alternatives first; this is market justice in action.

No one is debating that, at least I’m not. I am saying that article is weak and self-serving coming after all the other valid commentary. Yellow journalism.

It’s poor choice when one wants to report on the whole MoFi dust up. It exists for people who want a quick explanation before they go on to read about other things in the Lifestyle section.

Don’t understand the Fremer hate club. In this particular video, he is just trying to defend himself against being mis-represented. He’s done a couple of other videos that directly speak to the MoFi debacle.

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The fact that the MoFi 1 Steps have a DSD step does not change how much it costs to make them. I keep reading this type of logic and it makes no sense.

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