Mobile Fidelity Settlement Update
Who ARE these people?! Yes, I’m sure you’ve been so severely damaged by the revelation that digital masters can sound good 🙄 You just did a Lebron flop x1000. In the end, the lawyers won. This is bad for the hobby; these people are not my brothers. |
@nonoise that is the best. Bravo 👏 . I noticed that the wave is sloshing too. Awesome 👍👍👍 |
I am not a Lawyer, and I hadn’t been following the story since it first came out, but after reading the link it appears that the settlement was reached a while ago; but that some people were claiming that the Lawyers involved were colluding with MoFi to limit the payout, and it’s this latest claim that was rejected. I do believe that MoFi was being intentionally dishonest in their marketing, and don’t wish to rehash that, but the settlement seems more than fair to me. What do people expect? Would that every company that misleads with its advertising suffer some sort penalty.. If MoFi somehow manipulated the process to get “Friendly “ Lawyers then they did a lousy job. With Friends Like These…” |
@zgas-music In 2017-8 Purchased a MoFi Gain2 Japanese version(SUP 46-8) of Santana Lotus. Had the US released CD version which just sounded OK. Played the MoFi vinyl and it sounded nearly identical. This was my most expensive vinyl purchase at that time, to say I was diappointed would be an understatement. Did I still think that Lotus was from an analog master tape? Since I have not heard the original Japanese Lotus pressing who knows. Since then I have never even considered purchasing newer MoFi vinyl. Take in consideration many of the customers that have been purchasing MoFi vinyl the past 5+ years.... Many are only record collectors NOT Audiophiles. Many have no concept of Hi-End sound when playback is on a sub-par system. In conclusion don't assume all Audiophiles were fooled by Mo Fi.
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It just so happens a good number of the MoFi's I bought were made without the digital conversion step: the three Ry Cooder's, for instance. But ya know, a lot of original mastering jobs used an intermediary copy tape as the source---what's called a production or safety master---not the original 2-track mixdown tape. A MoFi digital file---made off a 1st or even 2nd generation analogue tape---may sound better than does the tape the original lacquer was cut from. MoFi claims they found the above to be true, but they didn't disclose that fact to the public, knowing that audiophiles would then perhaps not buy their LP's. A lot of them are no longer going to, that's for sure. |
You don’t have to have intelligence to be an audiophile and this case proves it. So many so called audiophiles/reviewers/analog purists thought the albums they bought sounded excellent until they found out that some of the albums were cut with DSD. Then these so called experts/purists/audiophools who bought these great sounding albums all of a sudden thought they sounded like sh$t. When does it matter what process is used to cut an album/cd? Don’t you let your ears do the listening, not somebody else’s propaganda? |
There were a fair number of negative reviews of MoFi Lp’s before the digital step was revealed. Michael Fremer was removed from MoFi’s promo list because of his panning of certain MoFi titles. Analogue Productions, Speakers Corner, Intervention Records, and a couple dozen more companies continue to make outstanding LP reissues (mostly pure analogue, if you care about that), and some contemporary artists make a point of recording and pressing LP’s to the highest audiophile standards: Gillian Welch, for one. She owns her own LP lacquer-cutting lathe (a VMS 80 with Ortofon amplifiers)---the first step in LP production, and her Acony Records LP’s sound stunning. |
@p05129 +1 I just couldn't stand the snap, crackle and pop and switched to SACD and DVD-A a longtime ago. Hard to find original analogue tapes in decent condition now. Most were transferred to DSD forty - odd years ago. Anyway you can get a full refund, move up to 128, 264, 512 DSD. |
For those who were duped, the issue isn’t the money. It was a violation of their religious beliefs. While organized religion has become weaker, there are many secular variants that allow people to substitute fanaticism for secular causes. Politics is the most obvious. Many of the issues with the Pandemic were another. And in the world of audio, we have the vinyl vs digital fundamentalists. With Many of the Analog or Die Crowd it is a Gospel that once the analog wave form has been digitized it is forever unclean, unholy. No number of refunds can remove the stain of the violation |
A while back I introduced the topic: "Nostalgia. Or Authenticity. Can we have both?" It set a new record for the least popular post in A’Gon history. The only comment was spam generated. At any rate, the premise was that our quest for "the real thing" and not a substitute for the "real thing" can also connect us to things we feel warm and fuzzy about. Those intellectually and emotional attached to something authentic can get quite upset about being dupped when a statement of authenticity is attached to a company’s marketing materials. The element of monetary exchange just adds to the "sting factor" for whose who didn’t get what they paid for. Intellectually dishonest accounts are becoming part of the standard daily regimen. Calling out those who intentionally mislead should be a "no brainer" in a polite society. It looks like we got one right. 999 to go. |
New expensive Digital remastered re-release records nowadays do not sound as good as the original all analogue pressings. I stopped by newly pressed vinyl back 2015 after buying several duds when compared to the original all analogue pressing. the cutting lathes for vinyl are now digitally driven. new digitized record are in your face equalized and loud for sure. but are also grainy in sound and lack air, depth, and the musicality of the original pressings. The era of all analogue vinyl is pretty much over
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In todays world what is the most a grievous crime your can inflict on an individual? You can’t hurt their feelings. These people are self proclaimed music experts that were exposed to be novice listeners. When they were exposed to their friends that they could not tell the difference in the recording it hurt their feelings and now a full refund is not just compensation. They need to be made whole for their feelings, and lawyers have more billable hours telling them they had their feelings hurt. |
Misrepresentation in inducing a purchase is actionable. I would not have purchased any of my MoFi Step 1 albums--for which I paid a premium-- had I known there was a digital step. It matters not that some of them sound very good. It's a matter of misrepresentation of provenance. Now let's say you buy your wife a $100 replica of a $2,500 Louis Vuitton bag for Christmas and tell her it's real. She and her friends think it's real. Then one day she walks into a Louis Vuitton store and finds out that the only way the experts can tell the difference between the real and this particular fake is that there are 8 stitches inside of an interior pocket of the fake and 10 in the real version. She empties the bag and counts 8 stitches in hers. Your defense--wifey couldn't tell the difference and none of wifey's friends will ever be able to tell the difference. What are the odds that wifey says--"I'm good with that --I forgive you."
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In addition...a lot of the titles are worth WAY more on the secondary market than what was spent at retail. I can’t believe anyone, (including the naysayers) would send back a copy of Santana Abraxas One-Step that is now worth over well over $2K. If so, please let me buy it. I’ll even give you $50 more that you paid. 😁 Like my dad used to say..."Money talks, BS walks"... |
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chrisoshea I agree that it is not equivalent in the sense that it is not "on all fours". However, it was a clear misrepresentation and/or concealment that caused buyers to pay more for something that did not have the pure provenance (AAA) represented by the advertisements and the literature that came with the record. Under many State statutes, that action alone constitutes an actionable consumer fraud. |
Hi guys. I did this video while having a little fun editing, trying to bring some more perspective and light on the substance of the MOFI debacle from a sound engineering & Audiophile therapy point of view. Maybe you will find it interesting! Kind Regards, Morten |
A lab diamond is absolutely real. But people pay twice as much for mined diamonds because… they just do. I wouldn’t want to pay for a mined diamond, find out it’s a lab diamond and then get told “it’s just as good.” But in truth, all you can do is refund people’s money. You can’t be compensated for emotional distress in a case like this. And yes, lawyers clean up with class actions. |
I received an email notice yesterday to mail back my MOFI 1-Steps. I was sent a shipping label for the return. They stated that as soon as they receive the albums a cash refund will be sent to me. I just dropped off the albums at the Post Office and they are on their way back. Very happy this issue in finally being resolved. I have been waiting a long time to get my money back for the "Santana Abraxas 1-Step". |
@stjernholm , that was a good video...On the same note, your gear reviews are top notch, authentic, humorous and entertaining btw (a pleasant change from the sea of YT drones droning away).
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I’ve owned several Mofi records over the years mostly from teh 80’s. Nice quality packaging and heavy vinyl but suspected they were digitally mastered all along just by listening. Oh well. I could care less how made really only teh overall quality of teh product you pay a premium for and how good the final product sounded. They always sounded different than same album’s original analog releases, maybe in some cases better, others not. Depends on specifc copies compared to. But lying to consumers is never a good thing and should be dealt with as needed.
This should be the worst thing that ever happens to us. Amen! |
A few weeks ago I received a letter containing info on the 10% credit I had available to use on the Music Direct website for the MoFi LP’s I chose to keep. A few days ago I received an email with a return authorization label to send MD the LP I elected to return for a refund. I don't consider the digital step to necessarily be a deal breaker, but most of my MoFi's are AAA. I also have a fair number of MoFi SACD's, which sound great.
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@texbychoice the process is called 1 step and was supposed to be all analog. You would be okay with sausage that was advertised to be all pork, but it had 50% turkey in it? |
@invalid You are splitting hairs to the extreme. There is more difference in LP quality introduced by master pressing disks wearing. Let's sue all the LP manufacturers over that issue. Grab some more freebies. |
@texbychoice so it's okay to lie to your customers, good to know you wouldn't care if a business lied to you. I don't think people who bought the 1 step albums should get more than their money back including any shipping. Mobile fidelity should have just been honest with people. |
@invalid by your logic an inferior quality LP is the preferred end product. The all analog purists that started this ridiculous tempest in a teapot would happily pay a premium for an inferior product, Right? Taste of the sausage is all that counts. Beyond that, obsession over the process is an individual issue (problem!). Don't like, or more accurately, don't understand the process - don't buy the product. Move on with life. Far too little personal responsibility, far too much blaming others with the demand for compensation or validation of individual foibles.
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