Not to mention that they had DSD files and yet significantly restricted inventory to push up pricing for "limited edition" releases. They aren't working with the master tape after the digital file is created. They did this to keep supply restricted and pricing up. It's patently deceptive. That's what bothers me.
Spot on. This is about Ethics... and now I know that MOFI is not an ethical company... and that their "premium product" isn't so premium. It's a s simple as that.
Great video! The fact that MoFi misrepresented their products to not only increase their sales but to also impact their competition says it all! This, IMHO, is a classical case of bait and switch. The question should be asked as to how many folks bought these albums believing what you stated, that the MoFi's ( particularly the pricey 'One Steps') were all sourced AAA. How many would have ponied up $125- each if MoFi had believed in full disclosure...and advertised that these LP's were sourced from a digital file? The non-disclosure of this very important fact is where I would suspect that they have created liability. Should be interesting to see how this plays out.
@Autumn Aarilyn....Don't dare post this on Mr.Fremer's (New TH-cam channel)...even joking ....rip me a new one with His indignation( how I dare state such a statement...Everyone knows in the business this is common practice... Freebies..& Said, "I should Grow up".....mind you mentioned was a senior 60+ and into this hobby for decades....I must of hurt his feelings....LMAO)..The channel is Trackingangle or such....You could see the fumes coming off his reply....Lmao.
You are absolutely right! Very good analysis. I feel sorry for the enthusiasts who spent a small fortune on MoFi albums; they should receive a refund...
Well I live in France, where you can go into any hardware shop or diy shop and by... HEAVYWEIGHT STAINLESS STEEL door stops complete with many rubber rings around the periphery.... For only LESS than €10....yup shafting left right and centre....
Don't forget that a lot of youtubers have a skin in the game, some own record stores with MoF titles in their inventory, some have collections of MoFi records which they plan to sell. Do you think they will say anything that will negatively impact prices of their records? Of course no, they will be saying it's OK, the records still sounds great.
All I can say is their records sound great, and while I don’t buy to flip or plan on selling mine, I am enjoying them. The guys that complain about the cost of a record need to just shop in Target or Walmart, and buy up the garbage records, and there are plenty of them.
I worked in the audio business when MoFi first came to market. Not all of them were better than the original album, but many were. I bought a bunch of them, and some during the ensuing years, keeping a few I figured would be collectible, specifically the MoFi Beatles Box (never played; pristine everything). After having my turntable (a pretty sweet Denon DP-60L) in storage since '87, I just now put it back into my system. Some of my records from the late 60s and most of the 70s still sounded pretty good, and some were actually better than their CD counterpart (I was able to do direct A/B comparisons). But overall, the CDs sounded better. And as a simple old hippie, sounding good is the game. Of course MoFi is guilty of sins of omission. So fuck them. But all those analog purists, analog whisperers, if you will, claiming an ability to sniff out digital blasphemy, have some 'splaining to do. And that will be fun to watch. Especially after smokin' a fatty...
This ain’t over. What about Craft Recordings? What about Blue Note Tone Poet? I find it all very distasteful and as some new to vinyl, enough to make me throw up my hands and stick with all digital. I mean, DSD (SACD) is pretty freaking great! Why do I need a noisy (relatively) compressed medium to play DSD files?
There is also video of Bernie Grundman (who is doing the Craft Contemporary Records series) with the original tapes in his mastering room. I have no idea about the provenance of the Craft One-Steps, though... I stay clear of that super-expensive stuff.
Absolutely. Using a car analogy, if I sold you a “70 SS Chevelle claimed to be numbers matching only for you to find out the block was a “71 you should be pissed. Will it still snap your head back? Does it still make you grin? Is it a Chevrolet? Yes yes and yes. But it’s not numbers matching therefore not worth the price paid. 💁
Well stated vid summary that reduces the controversy down to THE issue at hand! Moreover, many of us who are subscribers & fans TOO of the few you named, are keenly aware of the "neutral responses". I understand the reasoning too but am somewhat surprised at the same time. Well stated. 👍
Some of those reviewers... In mags... Are culpable too.... I won't name any, well not fully.. Nothing better than receiving FREEBIES then saying how wonderful it is and aren't you outta luck because you can't buy the said item... Case in point Santana Abraxis.... K... K....
Ken Micallef lost all credibility with me after his stupid video. All of a sudden "Mr. OG pressings come directly from God" suddenly has no issue with digital masters. I have come to believe that; people who have a sizeable investment in any format will forever praise the superiority of the format regardless of merit. People like Ken who have built large OG collections when vinyl was dirt cheap will always claim that OG pressings sound best (for someone like Ken, the value of his collection might possibly constitute his whole nest egg); and those heavily invested in Mofi records will scream to the rafters that all that matters is sound quality, to which I say, Quobuz sounds damn good as well, what's your point?
Remember, if it is discovered that Ken Micallef is in anyway influenced or paid by MoFi to rebut claims, he could also be potentially culpable for their bad actions.
This is the smartest and most concise reasoning of what is going on that I have ever seen. They all think that we are stupid and people did buy this stuff based off of the Analog moniker. They use the phrases, "Well that doesn't make the records sound less good". When a product is based on a lie or a deception and you elevate the price based off of that deception, it smells and tastes just a little less sweat, regardless of the final product and Mofi needed to learn this lesson, so the others won't think of trying it again. If some had known this in the beginning they would have just bought the SACD, but they weren't given that opportunity based off of truth, were they?
I think it's funny that a lot of these rich snobs who have all this ultra high-end analog equipment and paid a bunch of money for these records thought they were getting all analog, but they couldn't hear the difference. how many people could really tell these records were cut from a digital master? I doubt anybody. I love vinyl I prefer playing music on vinyl but that's the form it's being played, I like touching it moving it all the stuff to DJs do. and yes I would prefer it was all analog from beginning to end. but ultimately if the music is jamming that's all that counts. we listen to music cuz it gives us an enjoyable experience. having said all that deception is deception and people who bought this product have every right to be upset and demand your money back and discontinue being a customer of that company ☮️❤️🎵🌍🤗🏁
Yeah I couldn't agree more on Micallef and Guttenberg. I never really liked Micallef's channel, but Steve G. is entertaining from time to time. I unsubscribed from Micallef a while ago. Steve G. acting like it's no big deal and/or defending MoFi's actions is utterly ridiculous to me. I lost a bit more respect for him after watching that response video. His attitude about audio retail and how salesmen should treat customers had me fuming a couple of years ago. Pffft. These older writers hold little appeal for me anymore. I'm just as interested, maybe more, in TH-cam newcomers as I am in the old garde due to attitudes like these. As little as I follow Michael Fremer, I really appreciate how he has responded to this.
I would never have bought 'Original Master Recordings', b/c it's such a shady description. Obviously some serious shortcuts going into the processes... - "Something To Do with Record Making". Might as well have written that. >.< They can't constantly be putting out new issues using master tapes, at that high rate. It was never going to be all analogue.
i only buy original pressings now, nothing new. incredibly, a lot of hifi people are ok playing digital sourced vinyl?! the worst of both formats and none of the advantages.
MoFi lie, not good but people shouldn't start to say that the One Steps sounds bad or something ridiculous, even you say on your previous videos that One Steps sounds great!
@@archifi9978 This seems to be the area that folks are having some amount of difficulty comprehending. The product was simply not what it was purported to be and false advertising and possibly fraud are to be considered.
You are right. I've never sold one NEW piece of hi-fi in my life. However, Steve's experience has NOTHING to do with the subject at hand. It's fine being a Steve fan. I'm a fan....however, Steve knows the controversy has nothing to do with the sound.
I suppose I could try being a little sympathetic; if I ever finish enjoying laughing at snobby AAA purist Vinyl audiophiles squirming at the reality check they have been worshipping DSD sourced overpriced LPs for so many years... Possibly the funniest thing to happen in the HI Fi world, in the 50 years I've been obsessed with music and audio equipment.... Love it when vain elitist prejudice and bigotry, no matter how minor and petty, is exposed to ridicule...
@@daveyf3144 @Davey F @Davey F Yes.. absolutely.. The key issues are blatantly obvious to any objective observer. Fools and their money are easily parted...... and add 'condescending' to the list of snobby audiophile personality disorders which deserve to be ridiculed...
@@JohnnyFriendly No... you are not only being presumptuous, but have misread my enjoyment of this laughable ''scandal''. Believe me [or not], but I have a much broader understanding of the multifaceted aspects of this tragi-comic soap opera than most others who are writing from personal bias and narrow viewpoints... The basic issue is MOFI are a greedy spiv corporation, who have profiteered for several years off the foolish vanity of an elite of AAA vinyl zealots who have more money than sense... Who have now been exposed as charlatans for worshipping hugely overpriced LPs derived from digital DSD masters. This is why it is so funny to see their bitter embarrassment at realising their own ill founded anti-digital prejudice has facilitated them being so easily fooled and taken advantage of by MOFI !!!.. We need such a good laugh as this to cheer us up in these dark and dangerous times of Global Societal collapse and impending World War 3... [Y'know.. REAL problems...] Oh dear, a niche Audio corporation marketing overpriced luxury conspicuous consumption products, failed to be 100% truthful to a loud mouthed spoiled brat minority of well off vinyl collectors...
![ภาพนี้ก็ฮาเหมือนกันนะเนี้ย #2 SS8 [ พากย์นรก MEME.EXE ] | easy boy](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RMhUgxxD49Q/mqdefault.jpg)
Not to mention that they had DSD files and yet significantly restricted inventory to push up pricing for "limited edition" releases. They aren't working with the master tape after the digital file is created. They did this to keep supply restricted and pricing up. It's patently deceptive. That's what bothers me.
Best way to tell if it's analogue is...., the jacket has dog ears, discoloration of the artwork and there is no bar-code to be found, anywhere!
Spot on. This is about Ethics... and now I know that MOFI is not an ethical company... and that their "premium product" isn't so premium. It's a s simple as that.
Great video! The fact that MoFi misrepresented their products to not only increase their sales but to also impact their competition says it all! This, IMHO, is a classical case of bait and switch. The question should be asked as to how many folks bought these albums believing what you stated, that the MoFi's ( particularly the pricey 'One Steps') were all sourced AAA. How many would have ponied up $125- each if MoFi had believed in full disclosure...and advertised that these LP's were sourced from a digital file? The non-disclosure of this very important fact is where I would suspect that they have created liability. Should be interesting to see how this plays out.
Thanks for watching
Finally, some un-varnished truth that cuts straight to the heart of the matter.
They don't think... they know
If the writers don't come out and support their boys, the free records stop coming in (ie Fremer).
@Autumn Aarilyn....Don't dare post this on Mr.Fremer's (New TH-cam channel)...even joking ....rip me a new one with His indignation( how I dare state such a statement...Everyone knows in the business this is common practice... Freebies..& Said, "I should Grow up".....mind you mentioned was a senior 60+ and into this hobby for decades....I must of hurt his feelings....LMAO)..The channel is Trackingangle or such....You could see the fumes coming off his reply....Lmao.
You are absolutely right!
Very good analysis.
I feel sorry for the enthusiasts who spent a small fortune on MoFi albums; they should receive a refund...
MoFi charges $199.00 for a record stabilizer. A record stabilizer...
Probably $19 wholesale
For only $999 you can get the De-Digitizer Brush to sweep the ones and zeros out of the vinyl grooves.
Well I live in France, where you can go into any hardware shop or diy shop and by... HEAVYWEIGHT STAINLESS STEEL door stops complete with many rubber rings around the periphery.... For only LESS than €10....yup shafting left right and centre....
I watched Steve's video and he is totally out of touch with the common man.
Not for nothing but Steve is a Simpleton.
Don't forget that a lot of youtubers have a skin in the game, some own record stores with MoF titles in their inventory, some have collections of MoFi records which they plan to sell. Do you think they will say anything that will negatively impact prices of their records? Of course no, they will be saying it's OK, the records still sounds great.
Good point. Look on Ebay....TONS of One Steps for sale.
All I can say is their records sound great, and while I don’t buy to flip or plan on selling mine, I am enjoying them. The guys that complain about the cost of a record need to just shop in Target or Walmart, and buy up the garbage records, and there are plenty of them.
'I have nothing to apologize for'.....Steve Guttenberg
I don't think anyone cares if Steve Apologizes or not. Everybody has seen thru "Steve playing dumb" lol
@@daleclark4160 Exactly. Steve is another industry insider who's job it is, in part, to protect industry lies. He's fulla BS they all are.
And a DSD album even in 4x in not more than 60 bucks
Music on Vinyl $30 some dollars. Mostly digital, high quality.
@@archifi9978 well...you are not highly equipped😉
SACD $30
You are absolutely right, all those guys are just salesman and want to sell sell sell, by hook or by crook. I lost all respect for them.
Also, people also invest in tube pre/power/integrated amps to get that "warm" sound reproduction from analogue recordins on their t.t.
I worked in the audio business when MoFi first came to market. Not all of them were better than the original album, but many were. I bought a bunch of them, and some during the ensuing years, keeping a few I figured would be collectible, specifically the MoFi Beatles Box (never played; pristine everything).
After having my turntable (a pretty sweet Denon DP-60L) in storage since '87, I just now put it back into my system. Some of my records from the late 60s and most of the 70s still sounded pretty good, and some were actually better than their CD counterpart (I was able to do direct A/B comparisons). But overall, the CDs sounded better. And as a simple old hippie, sounding good is the game.
Of course MoFi is guilty of sins of omission. So fuck them. But all those analog purists, analog whisperers, if you will, claiming an ability to sniff out digital blasphemy, have some 'splaining to do. And that will be fun to watch. Especially after smokin' a fatty...
Well said thanks
This ain’t over.
What about Craft Recordings?
What about Blue Note Tone Poet?
I find it all very distasteful and as some new to vinyl, enough to make me throw up my hands and stick with all digital. I mean, DSD (SACD) is pretty freaking great! Why do I need a noisy (relatively) compressed medium to play DSD files?
There is also video of Bernie Grundman (who is doing the Craft Contemporary Records series) with the original tapes in his mastering room. I have no idea about the provenance of the Craft One-Steps, though... I stay clear of that super-expensive stuff.
Absolutely. Using a car analogy, if I sold you a “70 SS Chevelle claimed to be numbers matching only for you to find out the block was a “71 you should be pissed. Will it still snap your head back? Does it still make you grin? Is it a Chevrolet? Yes yes and yes. But it’s not numbers matching therefore not worth the price paid. 💁
Perfect analogy
@@archifi9978 False advertising, bait and switch and fraud are not legal activities...something to consider.
Well stated vid summary that reduces the controversy down to THE issue at hand!
Moreover, many of us who are subscribers & fans TOO of the few you named, are keenly aware of the "neutral responses". I understand the reasoning too but am somewhat surprised at the same time.
Well stated. 👍
I heard Music Direct supplies quality kneepads to Steve.
Some of those reviewers... In mags... Are culpable too.... I won't name any, well not fully.. Nothing better than receiving FREEBIES then saying how wonderful it is and aren't you outta luck because you can't buy the said item... Case in point Santana Abraxis.... K... K....
Indeed. Unfortunately, that's the way the review business works
Totally agree.
Spot on
MoFi = NoBuy
Ken Micallef lost all credibility with me after his stupid video. All of a sudden "Mr. OG pressings come directly from God" suddenly has no issue with digital masters. I have come to believe that; people who have a sizeable investment in any format will forever praise the superiority of the format regardless of merit. People like Ken who have built large OG collections when vinyl was dirt cheap will always claim that OG pressings sound best (for someone like Ken, the value of his collection might possibly constitute his whole nest egg); and those heavily invested in Mofi records will scream to the rafters that all that matters is sound quality, to which I say, Quobuz sounds damn good as well, what's your point?
Remember, if it is discovered that Ken Micallef is in anyway influenced or paid by MoFi to rebut claims, he could also be potentially culpable for their bad actions.
This is the smartest and most concise reasoning of what is going on that I have ever seen. They all think that we are stupid and people did buy this stuff based off of the Analog moniker. They use the phrases, "Well that doesn't make the records sound less good". When a product is based on a lie or a deception and you elevate the price based off of that deception, it smells and tastes just a little less sweat, regardless of the final product and Mofi needed to learn this lesson, so the others won't think of trying it again. If some had known this in the beginning they would have just bought the SACD, but they weren't given that opportunity based off of truth, were they?
Very true. It will be interesting to see how this effects MoFi going forward AND their electronics branded items. Thanks for watching
Fremer took a stand on FB and said DSD is not transparent to the source.
I think it's funny that a lot of these rich snobs who have all this ultra high-end analog equipment and paid a bunch of money for these records thought they were getting all analog, but they couldn't hear the difference. how many people could really tell these records were cut from a digital master? I doubt anybody. I love vinyl I prefer playing music on vinyl but that's the form it's being played, I like touching it moving it all the stuff to DJs do. and yes I would prefer it was all analog from beginning to end. but ultimately if the music is jamming that's all that counts. we listen to music cuz it gives us an enjoyable experience.
having said all that deception is deception and people who bought this product have every right to be upset and demand your money back and discontinue being a customer of that company
☮️❤️🎵🌍🤗🏁
Yeah I couldn't agree more on Micallef and Guttenberg. I never really liked Micallef's channel, but Steve G. is entertaining from time to time. I unsubscribed from Micallef a while ago. Steve G. acting like it's no big deal and/or defending MoFi's actions is utterly ridiculous to me. I lost a bit more respect for him after watching that response video. His attitude about audio retail and how salesmen should treat customers had me fuming a couple of years ago. Pffft. These older writers hold little appeal for me anymore. I'm just as interested, maybe more, in TH-cam newcomers as I am in the old garde due to attitudes like these. As little as I follow Michael Fremer, I really appreciate how he has responded to this.
AGREE!!! CD quality for your turntable in case you can't afford a CD player. Crooks!
No more mofi...stupid or evil?
I know I’m done. I now have to find away to unload what I have
Steve Guttenberg from Cocoon??!
Different Steve
@@ralex3697 Same Steve Guttenberg I think. Only he's older now, he's an audiophile now, and he looks like Woody Allen now. Just kidding.
I would never have bought 'Original Master Recordings', b/c it's such a shady description. Obviously some serious shortcuts going into the processes... - "Something To Do with Record Making". Might as well have written that. >.<
They can't constantly be putting out new issues using master tapes, at that high rate. It was never going to be all analogue.
I want the T-shirt... Almost Original Master Recording
@@continentalgin Yeah, 'Winning consumer' theme ;)
i only buy original pressings now, nothing new. incredibly, a lot of hifi people are ok playing digital sourced vinyl?! the worst of both formats and none of the advantages.
MOV is the same as mofi practically use the best digital source and clean vinyl and there prices are $30-40 while being digitally remastered not $125
Exactly.
Don't own a single MOFI. I never bought their ALL ANALOG and those price points are for Doctors and lawyers. Nope. Laughing my ass off at all this.
And me... Laughed till my arse fell outta my trousers...
MoFi lie, not good but people shouldn't start to say that the One Steps sounds bad or something ridiculous, even you say on your previous videos that One Steps sounds great!
Thanks for watching. This has nothing to do with the sound. It's about lying.
@@archifi9978 This seems to be the area that folks are having some amount of difficulty comprehending. The product was simply not what it was purported to be and false advertising and possibly fraud are to be considered.
@@daveyf3144 I think folks are "just acting" like they don't understand and just want to "poke" at analog audiophiles.
@@daleclark4160 %100 correct, it's the mentality of the nasty times we live in.
The customers are bloody so gullible.... Suck it up....
Steve knows more than you worked and sold hi fi for years.
You are right. I've never sold one NEW piece of hi-fi in my life. However, Steve's experience has NOTHING to do with the subject at hand. It's fine being a Steve fan. I'm a fan....however, Steve knows the controversy has nothing to do with the sound.
So, because he sold Hi-fi's means he is automatically correct? .. Get real man
Yeah, and used car salesmen know the most about cars.
I suppose I could try being a little sympathetic; if I ever finish enjoying laughing at snobby AAA purist Vinyl audiophiles squirming at the reality check they have been worshipping DSD sourced overpriced LPs for so many years... Possibly the funniest thing to happen in the HI Fi world, in the 50 years I've been obsessed with music and audio equipment.... Love it when vain elitist prejudice and bigotry, no matter how minor and petty, is exposed to ridicule...
Are you understanding the issues here with this very late disclosure???
@@daveyf3144 @Davey F @Davey F Yes.. absolutely.. The key issues are blatantly obvious to any objective observer. Fools and their money are easily parted...... and add 'condescending' to the list of snobby audiophile personality disorders which deserve to be ridiculed...
You have completely misunderstand this debate. People are angry because they were explicitly LIED to. In any other context this would constitute fraud
@@JohnnyFriendly No... you are not only being presumptuous, but have misread my enjoyment of this laughable ''scandal''. Believe me [or not], but I have a much broader understanding of the multifaceted aspects of this tragi-comic soap opera than most others who are writing from personal bias and narrow viewpoints...
The basic issue is MOFI are a greedy spiv corporation, who have profiteered for several years off the foolish vanity of an elite of AAA vinyl zealots who have more money than sense... Who have now been exposed as charlatans for worshipping hugely overpriced LPs derived from digital DSD masters. This is why it is so funny to see their bitter embarrassment at realising their own ill founded anti-digital prejudice has facilitated them being so easily fooled and taken advantage of by MOFI !!!.. We need such a good laugh as this to cheer us up in these dark and dangerous times of Global Societal collapse and impending World War 3... [Y'know.. REAL problems...] Oh dear, a niche Audio corporation marketing overpriced luxury conspicuous consumption products, failed to be 100% truthful to a loud mouthed spoiled brat minority of well off vinyl collectors...
@@daveyf3144 He is clueless, he's like a Trump deciples, cannot understand how ignorant they make themselves.