MoFi controversy


I see this hasn't been mentioned here yet, so I thought I'd put this out here.  Let me just say that I haven't yet joined the analog world, so I don't have a dog in this fight.

It was recently revealed that Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs one step LPs are being cut from digital masters (DSD) rather than being straight analog throughout the chain.

Here is one of the many Youtube videos that discusses it

 

To me, it seems that if MOFI is guilty of anything, it's "deception by omission."  That is, they were never open about the process and the use of digital in the chain. 

One thing to mention is that hardly anyone is criticizing the sound quality of these LPs, even after this revelation.  Me personally, I wouldn't spend over one hundred dollars for any recording regardless of the format.

 

ftran999

This is old news, records have been cut from digital recordings primarily for 3 decades. But these records still sound like “vinyl.” Perhaps there are distortion characteristics built in to record playback that are pleasing, and that has been the secret sauce.

 

 I have listened to very high end digital and very high end record playback systems, and I have felt for a good 5 years that records smooth off the top and add warmth. I find that MQA adds a very similar tonal characteristic, making recordings sound like records. Thus, I prefer the high resolution recordings streamed by Quboz as they sound more like the real thing. 
 

At my level, where I have similar investments into digital streaming and record playback (Aurender N100H and Schiit Yggdrasil vs Ariston Rd11s and modified Grace 707 and Benz Ace with Hegel V10), the digital side does everything better, especially spatiality, dynamics, and inner detail).

It will make a lot of harm for the record industry. Especially for premium products. Sales was rising so well especially for premium records, now this trend can change.

 

 

I love my 2K+ vinyl but I confess, I don't own any MOFI ultradisk. I was about to purchase Hendrix are you experienced for $125, but then I thought of jasonborne and ended up buying a cable for twice that money. 

@tomcy6 

"In order to be transparent (very important in this discussion),, I have learned that Chad Kassem, owner of Analogue Productions, only does reissues of albums that he can get the master tapes for at his facilities."

You are correct in the strictest sense of the word "reissue".  In the case of the AP release of SD Two Against Nature there never was an analog release.  In fact the entire original chain was digital.

I know this because I happen to know Scott Hull at Masterdisk and was at the studio when he received the first TEST pressing of the analog that he mastered and cut on his lathe.  Scott also mixed the original digital and won a Grammy for it which is why SD came back to him to remix for analog and cut the original lacquer.

Regards,

barts