Washington Post article on MoFi vs. Fremer vs. Esposito

If anything, MoFi did us a favor by demonstrating that digital does not inevitably lead to horrible sounding recordings.  Records do sound different from digital versions because of differing mastering and the process of mechanically converting the signal to a vinyl recording and then playing it back, and if you like the results (I do too), that is quite different from concluding that digital conversions inherently ruin the sound (I don't think that that is the case).  Even Michael Fremer often shared digital downloads of records being played back by different gear and has admitted that digital copies of his analogue playback sound good.  Clearly he likes what analogue recording and playback does to the sound, but, that hardly implicates digital as ruining the sound when digital can faithfully pass through analogue sound.

Sorry I meant to say more than a sin of omission. 

Good points @larryi. There is a case to be made that a DSD 256 (or even 64) file made from a master analogue tape is not necessarily in every way inferior to a 1/4" (or even 1/2") 15 IPS (or even 30 IPS) analogue copy. I’ve read reports from well-respected audiophile mastering engineers who’ve said each has it’s own sonic signature, neither perfect.

But MoFi instead for whatever reason decided to deliberately hide their digital step from consumers. If they compared a digital transfer to a tape copy and judged the digital to be better sounding (perhaps at least over all), then have the courage of your convictions and say so. They didn’t, I believe, because they feared audiophiles are analogue purists, and it would hurt sales of their LP’s. They were probably correct on both points.

Though their promotional material long stated they started with the original master tape, I for one new that was in most cases very, very unlikely. The record companies themselves almost never use the 2-track mix master tape as the source for the cutting of the lacquer. In the analogue days they made production master tapes from the 2-track master, and put that original back in the vault for safe keeping. Some companies were more open to letting a tape out, the Warner Brothers group of labels, for one. Do you really think Capitol Records would lend out their Beatles tapes?!

@cleeds Exactly what I was thinking. Is the intention to drive Mofi out of business?