Ron! Great to hear from you! When I learned about MoFi including a digital step in their record making process you were honestly the first person I thought of. You’ve been saying for years that something wasn’t quite right on a lot of their releases and now we know why. I have to say that this MoFi news has shook me more than I would have expected. It’s a feeling I can only compare to how I felt when Lance Armstrong confirmed he was doping and had been all along. Deception of this magnitude can really rock your perception of reality… Who else is lying to us?

I always love your take on these issues Ron! Keeping it real!

I never buy newer Mofi's.. I find older ones, like this last week at a Second Hand store here in Reno.. Good to see you Ron ! Haven't tuned in for a long time, there are so many channels, and meeting new folks in the VC. This is a marketing nightmare for Mofi.. and it's their fault ! So many other analog records to enjoy ! Cheers JT

The Uncle Meat reissue sounded superb and I assumed it was the analogue source, but was surprised to find out it was a digital source. Same with the MoFi Paradise and Lunch by Ry Cooder

first time i saw one of ron's vids was several years back and i gotta say, this gentleman knows his stuff. one of the best vids ive seen based on the (digi)mofi saga

You've always been my go to guy on which record sounds the best.

Thanks Ron your take on this is great. I do not care if the records are digital or all analog if it sounds good. I have purchased many Mofi's over the years and the Mofi's I have that sounds great are very limited. The MoFi's LPs sound dead are are boosted in the bass and the treble. I thought the "dead" sound was due to the half speed mastering, but probably caused by the use of digtal in the mastering chain. As for the Santana Abraxas mentioned I remember they played the MoFi for me in an audio shop, and the sound was terrible. I went to a record store next door and purchased a cheap reissue, we played that instead and it sounded better than the 100+ USD MoFi.

I cancelled my preorder of 8 One-steps. Integrity matters. I'll spread my thousand dollars over 30-40 great sounding records.

Hey Ron! I am with you on being disappointed with Mobile Fidelity but I have been very happy with the sound quality of what I have purchased from them. The Bob Dylan records have been very good. As a major Van Halen fan, I was thrilled when they announced the One Steps. You have amazing ears because I didn't pick up on the digital sound. They fooled me. I'm torn between loving a product but being disappointed with the company. I suppose I will still buy MoFi's records but it will never quite be the same. Thank you for your thoughts. I have been wanting to hear from you. Take care.

Thanks for your input. Unfortunately I have the same feelings about digital. I’d like to hear a one step of Clifford Brown on blue note that sounds better than the original that would make me a believer.

Digital is getting better every year, and is the key to preserving those old reel to reel tapes from the 50's, 60's and 70's. Those tapes will be dust onone day, but a good transfer to Digital will make it possible for vinyl records to be pressed from those recordings for the next thousand years..., and they will sound great.

That 4× DXD has extremely high sampling rates at 32 bits , that sounds pretty close to tape (not totally)! Then when it's pressed to vinyl which is an analogue medium, it's "smoothed out" even further! But there's still something about pure analogue tape that digital can't touch!

It is all very well suggesting that the end product is all that matters as the MoFi engineers stated. The company has mislead and therefore mis- sold their product. In effect they have been caught with their hands in the till and charging premium prices on a false premise. The brand and their reputation will be adversely affected due to a lack of honesty and integrity. Therefore (hopefully) this may result in a price 'restructure' especially as there is a cost of living crisis (well at least here in the U.K.)

Great video Ron very informative. Take care and hope mom is good. Enjoy Canada

Thanks for this video, Ron! As usual, you tell it like it is. Maybe we will get some kind of industry standard codes printed on all products that every record label releases that will tell us precisely what was in the chain. One thing that needs to happen right away is settling on industry standards of definitions of words. 4XDSD is still digital, not analog. A tape copy of the original master recording is not the original master recording. 4XDSD is not an original master recording, and so forth. Because labels like to bend the truth on sourcing, we need established definitions. All vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, reel-to-reel, and streaming start with an original master recording somewhere down the chain, but it isn't fair to use OMR as a selling point if intermediary, high-res digital steps are hidden in the process of making the record. I suspect they haven't done 'best practices' divulging of the technical chain because labels underestimated how important that information is for consumers to make an informed decision before buying. They thought consumers don't care about the technical stuff. People paying $60 to $125 and higher for recordings need to know what they're getting. Fair and transparent business practices are always better than deceptive practices. What labels could do now is post lists on their website, giving everyone the chain details from logs (we know they keep logs). It seems like MoFi is taking a 'wait and see if this blows over' attitude, while Chad was on Michael 45 RPM yesterday being totally open and honest. Chad said 'hey, if you guys have any questions, contact me, I'm proud of what we do.' Chad's transparency is what record buyers want, and I know you're a fan of Analogue Productions, Ron, for good reasons, sound quality being right there with the quality of good business practices.

Thanks for weighing in Ron!

I don’t recall Michael Fremer ever saying he thought or knew MOFI used digital. As a matter of fact, when this all broke, first with Michael Ludwig at 45RPM Audiophile and Steve Esposito at The In Groove, Fremer said they were spreading false rumors. Fremer was told MOFI was going to announce something about the Thriller pressing and how they would do 40k units after the Munich show, but they didn’t. If there is a video from the past of Fremer saying he believed MOFI was digital, please provide a link. Thanks

If you didn't like the sound of MoFi records for whatever reason why did you keep buying them?

Hi Ron, my opinion of the difference between digital and analogue is very simplistic. Digital sounds clinical and matter of fact like being in a cold hospital and analogue has an enveloping, involving warmth in its sound. As for MoFi, I would say that they have been deceptively dishonest in their use of digital in their process.

There is clearly a need for standard codes so that we can know what we buy. I am curios to see what will happen to MoFi's sales.

Good to hear from you Ron 👍🏻

Thank you for your video. I would like to focus on the old vs the new Mofi cut processes and its impact on vinyl comunity. We all agree that a Mofi "original master recording" is and should be a process where MOFI gets its hands on the original master, not on an unknown copy of that master. The DSD MOFI which is using is an added, new step, within the MOFI cutting process of Original Master Tape system. The DSD copy is then becomes a (ultra hi res digital) second generation source within the Mofi cutting process. should that be the only modification for Mofi cutting process than yes, it would be a degraded Vinyl cut process comparing with MOFI original Legacy cutting system. However, Mofi takes advantage on this added step to actually reduce the total number of degradating copying steps from the whole cutting process as per the following: 1) Original Mofi ( and other companies) AAA Process steps are: Step 1: master tape to lacquer (a 2nd generation analogue mechanical copy of the master is generated into the laquer) Step 2: lacquer to Father stamper (a 3rd Generation analoge mechanical copy is generated ) Step 3: Father Stamper is copied to be Mother mold (a 4th generation analoge copy is generated) Step 4: a Stamper is copied from mother (a 5th Generation mechanical analoge) Step 5: Vinyl Stamping (a 6th generation final analoge copy is pressed on vinyl) to summarize AAA process: A vinyl recording is the 6th analoge generation copy of the original master tape 2) MOFI "1 step process" comprise of the following steps: Step 1: Master Tape to DSD (a 2nd generation Dsd version of original master is created) Step 2: DSD to Lacquer (a 3rd mechanical analoge Generation) Step 3: Lacquer to Stamper (a 4th analoge Generation) Step 4: Vinyl Stamping (a final 5th generation which contains only 4th analoge generations copy of the master ) To summarize: MOFI single step process results in a 5 generation copy of original master recording rwhere 2 analogue mechanical copies of the sound are replaced by a single DSD copy . DSD copy of original master is to my understanding a much closer to original master quality (if not identical) than to any 2nd generation analogue copy alternatives availabe. 1) This is to my opinion a significant over all advantage to the cutting process 2) The Elephant in the room: The DSD step which contains a 2nd generation copy of original master is by definition a supirior version in compare witg the vinyl outcome which is a 5th ( practically 4th) generation copy of the original master tape. This means that the best posible reproduction quality can be obtain by a direct use of the DSD via streaming or a SACD platformd. Thanks and best regards

Here's an observation and it pertains to all audiophile you tubers: When a person says "it's a great sounding record" it will most likely mean THAT. It does not imply that the songs are good or to their liking. There are plenty of albums I love but that they've been recorded like crap, as opposed to albums that were well recorded, mastered and pressed, but whose music I don't care for.

Ron great to see your take on this. I think MOFI mislead some people in the VC. My budget never let me delve into the MOFI universe. So I have no skin in the game. I’m a Fremer fan too. I loved Brothers in Arms. I was chastised because it was “all digital”. Glad to see your video.

Great take on things as ever Ron,i don't own any MOFI as to me paying the premium price plus shipping to the UK is just too much and im very happy with my OG pressings,that said id love to compare one someday.Dire Straits love over gold i find hard to believe anything could sound better than my OG but i've heard great things about the mofi version

What is wrong with digital is , thet digit removes the top and bottom of the wave. Sound "travels" in a wave..the sound wave. Digital is blocky, it does not flow, waves flow

been too long since ive seen your vids ron. nice haircut 💈

MoFi should be straightforward with their customers. If they put out a great sounding record people will still buy them regardless.

Most people want to know why they are paying a high price for CD they can play on a turntable.

Hey Ron! thanks for your thoughts. I think you bring up a good point in the 4xdsd>>aaa making a difference as far as what it may do to digital by "cleaning it up" so to speak. I keep reading many folks say "Well, see, just purchase the sacd. Same sound" Well, I would disagree. I have many Mofi sacd's and lps in which there are differences. Some may indeed be that my analogue system is better than my digital set up. But I dont think we can say 4xdsd is the same fidelity wise as sacd or vice versa. Why that is? What makes the difference exactly? I dont know. It would be an interesting topic for someone technically knowledgable to explore I think. ------------------------- I also think the big pink elephant in the room with this is it isnt whether or not someone can tell an lp is aaa or digital (I think its been proven overall that folks cant tell a digital step with Mofi) but rather it is the mastering that is the difference. When someone is hearing high end that is fatiguing, that is an eq issue or more resolution in the case of the Night Fly One Step. BG/CB master differently than Mofi. I would venture to say that the reasons you and others dont care for the Mofi's as much is due to mastering not digititis youre hearing. To me, this is why this AAA is better than 4xdsd is misleading just as much as the opposing view. And why folks demanding AAA arent really thinking this out very well. Can some records mastered with digital be heard as such? Depends on what you mean by digital. Not all digital is equal and not all records are ran through an additional aaa GAIN 2 system. But with 4xdsds ran through aaa? No, I dont believe people can. And this fiasco with Mofi proves that. One may not like Mofis choices of eq etc but that has nothing to do with it being 4xdsd. In the end it is a case by case basis. It takes knowing what you need to listen for objectively/subjectively and comparing different pressings to match those expectations. Comes down to listening and comparing. Thanks again Ron, always a pleasure watching your videos!

hey Ronny 🙂 glad you did a short video about that ... it was a litle bit like ``we had it coming`` .. no one askd and no one was on the fence ..it was more like hm i´m gonna pass on that .. the fact that the love forever canges rhino was sooo much better was a huge Bell the no one tuched that before in public .. except you ;-) .. glad someone calld it out and i´m expacting a price drop on future mofi releases .. if not chad kasam have to raise his prices and we cant have that ..lol .. by the way fella you member when we talkd about the led zeppelins on analog productions ? ... the last interview with the michael 45 guy and chad kassam ... there was 1 clue that gave it away ...after all the clues .. i´m now totaly sure and sell now at the best prices for classics Ledz ;-)

Posted June 20 I've compared my Muddy Waters Folk Singer Mofi anadisc to the One Step and have drawn several conclusions. For one both are excellent with some minor differences. Mofi Anadisc 200g 33rpm Very quite vinyl Louder output Very dynamic Great 3D imaging EQ was a tad upward in the mids. Mofi One Step 180g 45rpm Noticeable surface noise Not as loud on output Detailed dynamics as with the Anadisc copy but with slightly more resolution Same 3D imaging ( I swear that I heard a drum band and thought it was coming from outside!) Great EQ the music flowed evenly. Happy with either copy but if you really need to test your purchase of a new component and want to see how far you can distance these two recordings from one another, then do so.

Good video uncle always give good detail about what your talking about

Thanks 👍

What does digital sound like?

I agree with you! I never liked the way they sound. Now I know why.

I'm going to make this simple , WHATEVER the original music was recorded on Will be what it Will ALWAYS SOUND Best on When PLAYED BACK, ESPECIALLY regarding qualities like" engaging" and " real "...., The STUFF Made analouge sounds Best on records AND a record system of That era..., If recorded digitally then digital..., IF ITS AL JOLSON SINGING INTO A CONE AND ITS BEING RECORDED ACOUSTO-MECHANICALY By MOVING A NEEDLE ON A WAX CYLINDER THEN IT WILL SOUND BEST PLAYED BACK ON THE SAME EQUIPMENT

From Wikipedia: "Recorded over eight months at various studios between New York City and Los Angeles, the album is an early example of a fully digital recording in popular music." There is no non-digital master of The Nightfly. Assuming there are bit perfect cd's released, where does the "extra detail" in other media come from?

There are no digital "artifacts". "Artifacts" are rumble in vinyl, the distortion and wear added by stylus-in-groove. The source for most recordings are from the analog source; but you are objecting that the digital eliminates all the distortion.

I'm not going to cancel my preorders but I can't support this deceitful company.

You are right about EC Get Happy! I also think the 2015 gatefold reissue from Universal sounds better than the Mofi. Also, the Love Forever Changes 33rpm Rhino reissue is better than than the 45rpm Mofi.... And wasn't impressed with the Mofi ELO Eldorado. What do u think of the Bernie Grundman 33rpm reissues of Van Halen?

Glad that I never bothered with collecting MoFi. The problem with this whole scandal is that people have been purchasing MoFi editions with the assumption that analog master tapes have been the source for the vast majority of these releases.

I just got the MoFi Brothers In Arms after months of waiting, and from the first play I was disappointed. Not because it didn't sound good, but it didn't sound great either. It was noticeably "digital", reminding me of all the cd's I had in the 90's. You can really hear the digital influence in the drums the most, it just doesn't sound natural to me. I can't speak for Nightfly, as I find the OG good enough. Definitely not going to spend $300 plus for an enhanced DSD One Step version to find out if that's any better.

i mean fremer also has several mofi records on his top 100 all analog list

I have the Brothers in Arms MOFI 45 (still available) from digital source and to me it sounds way better than the SACD (not MOFI) and different if not better than the OG vinyl. What I like most is the extended versions of the songs that were cut to fit on the original vinyl. So I went and got all the other MOFI Dire Straits to complete the collection. Do not think all of them surpass the other OG's despite the faster speed of 45RPM and shorter sides. Not quite the quality of the AP Doors 45 releases. I don't have any one steps. The only super expensive release I have purchased was the AP "Are You Experienced" UHQR which I thought was way over priced ($125 33RPM one disc). But if they went to the trouble of using pure analog from master tape for 20,000 copies then I guess it was pretty much a bargain.

Gary Salstrom is now at VMP

Great video Ron yes Mofi was so slick they definitely fooled me with the analog now when I go back to a few of my Mofi I could tell they are digital I remember buying Mofi Inxs X silver label a few years ago and came across an original the Original US press blew it out of the water I sold the Mofi . I’m definitely going to go through my Mofi and see what I’m going to keep I do like the Miles Davis reissues except for Kind of Blue that one was too bass heavy the UHQR is way better you always had a great point on Mofi and analogue I learned so much from you Ron great episode take care. Lovellandrew

I really think everyone manufacturing records today knew what mofi,s process was but didn't want to rock the vinyl rennaissance gravy train .

What accent is yours? Midwest? Chicago? Cleveland? Indiana?

If I'd of been you Ron I'd of titled this video, "I TOLD YOU SO".... lol

The analog tape is copied as digital. The digital is used for mastering and remixing -- because the tape WEARS when run across tape heads. And over time it deteriorates. The digital copy is actually superior to the analog tape.

Ron, the problem is deception, but at high prices supposedly justified by their deception. I never liked MoFi...still don't

"We are getting digital records" We are getting large CDs!!!

One that hasn't been mentioned much is the very recent reissue mofi did of the young rascals groovin lp I was really hoping to be blown away but it was kind of disappointing The original sounded better and even the 50th anniversary version rhino released sounds good

Digital = lack of distortion.

Rhino in 2015 dropped Chadd and went with GZ in Digital now with 5 plants Chadd suspect goes the same route as well with cost to be pure analog going up ..now i see here normal presses going to meet MOFI prices

no more mofi for me. no more music derelict

When the story broke a number of people in the livestream said "Has anyone seen Ron Beaudry?" A good take on this Ron. Led Zeppelin analog forever! 😎

Miss leading so they can keep the price high.

It's not the digital it's the lying and the very hi cost of there digital masters .. I also do not have many mofi records as I have been disappointed with many of there records from the past .

I commented on your MOFI Santana (1st Album) how disappointed I was with the poor sound and my 1st UK presses sounded better. I have collected 1st UK presses since 1965, I grew up with the sound, digital in the chain makes the record sound wrong, not bad but very different, I dislike the sound so I stopped buying MOFI's years ago, it's your money if you like the sound buy the MOFI buy it, if not don't buy it. Personally I never do business again with any one who lies to me.

Some of the greatest crimes in this world were committed under the justification that the ends justifies the means. But this is an argument that seems to go against the way things truly are. If you want a certain end result, you must use the means that will bring about that result. Claiming that you can achieve a desired result by using whatever means is convenient is wishful thinking. I would have respected MOFI more if they had been completely transparent and stated that they used digital steps in their mastering because they truly believed it improved the sound quality. Then we, as listeners, could have made our own decisions based on an honest presentation. MOFI does make very good album transfers, and this controversy doesn't lessen their quality. But being dishonest and misleading just to gain sales from people who wanted pure analog transfers is going to come back and bite them financially. . . . . and the worst of it is that they will most likely never offer any kind of apology for their deceptive practices. ..

I don't like mofi particularly their business practices. Generally I think their records sound good but they are ridiculously over priced and always out of stock. I also dislike music direct. I actually got banned from their store for returning a handful of items when I was building my system. All items returned in like new condition for a legit reason. I won't buy anything from them again.

I have a problem because they charged triple A prices for digitally remastered records when you charge $125 for a record I could buy MOV which use the best digital source and charge $30 So don’t overcharge me $95 u pricks.

I've always thought the MOFI LPs didn't sound right these last couple of decades when compared to their 80s / 90s releases. Those releases had an overall warmth and ease in the treble region that has always been beguiling. I took a chance and I purchased "Into The Labyrinth" about 7 years ago and was absolutely gutted; not only did it not sound good, the channels were reversed. I took another chance and purchased "Songs From The Big Chair" and it sounded thin and garish. I haven't purchased a MOFI since. That said, I've heard some really good LPs that were digitally sourced - so it isn't like digital sources are a non-starter for me; of course pure analog is absolutely preferred but, if done right, digital - ok - I'll take it. Especially realizing that from mid-80's onwards, the great majority of content was recorded digitally - so what choice do we [they] have. Another point, I had chalked the sound change up to [perhaps] a change in electronics in their mastering chain - I wonder if that added to the change in sound as well.

Hi Ron. When I try to play the video it says No Stream. Edit: Now it’s working for me.

I need to know what this is and u are taking too long to explain it :/ although u r very pleasant 🙂

You have to set aside personal opinion and preferences. You may not like something, be it digital or analog. There are plenty of analog pressings that don't sound very good. Not liking something is beside the point. But to pretend you sort of knew all along.... well that's poor form. Not to mention, Brother in Arms - the album you say sounds digital - was recorded digitally. I don't know man, what I'm hearing is an audiophile backtracking and trying to pretend they knew this all along, which is a shame. As I say, not liking the sound of a release is normal, but let's not pretend you knew more than you stated at the time.

I love it that all these supposed “audiophiles” and vinyl insiders were completely duped. It underscores what a complete joke this hobby can be. It’s loaded with snake oil.