Mobile Fidelity Vinyl - Digital for Years?

[Chris]

Surprise, all those analog records may have been digitally sourced all along.

[Chris]

More discussion and details contained in this video.

[Chris]

The Video that answers the questions.

[Chris]

And now the reaction.

[Chris]

And another analysis.

[mark]

Well, this is pretty interesting!

Looking at reactions to this apparent revelation I get the impression some folks are shocked not so much that they may have been deceived, but that they've been thoroughly enjoying some top quality audio recordings that turn out to have had a digital stage. Its might be like finding out your favorite expensive scotch you've been loving for years was actually switched for some cheap plonk all the time. You were deceived, but you did enjoy it!

Finally, if these vinyl recordings involve digitizing master tapes, then why not just listen to the equivalent streaming version? I can't see how the extra step of converting the digital format to vinyl can improve the sound of that recording.

[sailor]

I've watched a lot of the bits about this subject and feel lucky I do not feel betrayed because I never bought into the "Audiophile" recordings very much. If I find one used in good shape I might get it. I am underwhelmed by most of what I have heard and generally do not see the value in spending $50 for an LP. I like hearing when MF says not all the MoFi releases sound good. Just like all other LPs, there are some good and some bad. MF claims he is an honest reviewer and I only take that with a grain of salt. In this new climate of the 'big lie' you can only trust your ears.

[Chris]

STATEMENT FROM MOBILE FIDELITY

We at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab are aware of customer complaints regarding use of digital technology in our mastering chain. We apologize for using vague language, allowing false narratives to propagate, and for taking for granted the goodwill and trust our customers place in the Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab brand.

Read here.

[sailor]

well they had to say something. I will not think this will change much. Most of their records sound pretty good, many get mixed reviews.
the only mofi I own were used purchases; I just do not think they are worth the cost new.

[Chris]

The fallout continues. Big article in Washington Post.

Mike Esposito still won’t say who gave him the tip about the records. But on July 14, he went public with an explosive claim.

In a sometimes halting video posted to the YouTube channel of his Phoenix record shop, the ‘In’ Groove, Esposito said that “pretty reliable sources” told him that MoFi (Mobile Fidelity), the Sebastopol, Calif., company that has prided itself on using original master tapes for its pricey reissues, had actually been using digital files in its production chain. In the world of audiophiles — where provenance is everything and the quest is to get as close to the sound of an album’s original recording as possible — digital is considered almost unholy. And using digital while claiming not to is the gravest sin a manufacturer can commit.

Interview with Post reporter.

[sailor]

Here is a link to The Washington Post article

www.washingtonpost.com/music/2022/08/05/mofi-records-analog-digital-scandal/


The Washington Post/ Geoff Edgers

[Chris]

Now, the official statement from MoFi owner Jim Davis.

MoFi President Jim Davis Addresses the Digital LP-Mastering Controversy
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by Robert Harley

JV and RH: Why did you decide to master from DSD files rather than from analog mastertapes, as you used to do? What are the advantages of mastering from files vis-a-via mastering from tape, and what (if any) are the limitations?

Jim Davis: Some record label tape vaults changed policy regarding shipment of mastertapes. At that point our only option for those recordings was to go to the mastertapes. Once we were able to access these masters, the dilemma was how can we best retrieve the information from the master? We experimented with making analog copies from the master. Various tape stocks (½**, 1**) and speeds (15ips, 30ips) were tried but rejected. There was no way to overcome the noise-floor disadvantages of copying from one analog tape to another. When we tried DSD, it was immediately clear this was a vastly superior method for maximizing information retrieval. Developed as an archival format, DSD is sonically transparent, with a very low noise floor. Combined with the painstaking transfer process described below, the capture is a virtual snapshot of the master, revealing detail and nuance at a level that conventional methods could not. Counterintuitively, this capture yields, in our evaluation, superior sonics compared to a cut that is direct from the analog tape to the lathe.

Complete official statement

[sailor]

It is really hard to dig oneself out of a public relations nightmare. This does sound a bit like marketing gobbledygook.
Of course, if you a MoFi fan you will get past this debacle

[larrys]

This is a tempest in a teapot. If DSD provides a faithful copy of an analog tape without adding additional noise, then fine. Analog playback provides ample opportunity to tailor the sound in any way one wants through the choice of the playback equipment (especially the cartridge and the phono preamp).

[speakertom]

Yes, you can tailor the sound by matching up various pieces of analog equipment. However, for any given combination of equipment you are limited to how that equipment modifies the sound. If you want to change that sound for any reason due to for example different source material, you have a difficult and expensive process on your hands. Personally, I do not like having the basic design of a piece of equipment act as a modifier of the signal because you are stuck with what the equipment designer thought was "correct". There are lots of ways to make sonic changes in both the analog and digital domains without requiring equipment swap outs. Start with a system that can be true to the information as recorded and then use adjustable methods to change it to your liking. Although many changes are available in the analogue domain, they are easier and more repeatable in the digital domain. So, if tailoring the sound is truly what you are after, and the source was at one time digital, you have a much easier job if you stay in the digital domain.