Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs-A Short Incomplete History Part 1 

and Dylan .....

@@mazzysmusic Yep, Highway 61 is out of this world

Beck's Sea Change is one of my favorite albums, period, and the MoFi is spectacular. I have a few of the earlier MoFi classical issues (Rite of Spring - Muti, Elgar Falstaff - Boult) which I think are great.There's also a very unusual triple LP of film music conducted by the great (but lesser-known) film composer Roy Budd - he actually paid for the sessions himself (and lost quite a bit of money in the process). Also very partial to the MoFi Herrmann records (though the new remasterings in the Herrmann/Decca CD box set gives even original pressings a run for their money! )

@@poetryonplastic I think I might prefer the recent Japanese reissues. I can’t get any info on what tapes were used and if it’s digital, but pressed at the new Sony plant. A lot cheaper than the mofi and sound great

lol. how would I do that? Accuse you of getting promo records?

@@trackingangle929 my very first promo album was from the Warner Brothers rep in San Francisco when I just started my first record store job in 1973: Grateful Dead Bears Choice. My second was the US Vertigo of Kraftwerk’s Autobahn ✌🏼

There is no definition to “ultra analog”. It’s a marketing term.

They should because how they handled the initial MoFi news was awful. They sent a rude and dismissive tweet and never properly acknowledged it afterwards or apologized. This video is supposed to be that acknowledgement but it isn't. They're playing it off as if they did nothing wrong.

It's good but a bit sterile..

The thing I found hilarious was that in his follow up video Mike talked about all of the 'stuff' they have around including prototype Beatles boxes, and basically the entire physical history. You'd think they'd have meticulous mastering records. I was once at Rudy Van Gelder's and a guy took out the logs and read off every artist that recorded that particular day through the many years the studio was open.

Is your original the U.S. or U.K. pressing?

@@trackingangle929 don't know about his but my UK Stiff crushes MoFi's...

I agree. My mofi Aim is the quietest pressed lp I have. I don't like it at all.

Can you find those criticisms y’all are talking about? Maybe they’re on another video?

Hi! I thought that I heard on their video that they use the studer and then transfer to DSD file which means 2 additional steps. I could be be wrong as Im not native english speaker.

You must be joking.

@@andresypaolaguzman202 They say if the release is for their vinyl, a Studer Tape copy of the OMT is made and for their SACDs they copy it digitally at 4XDSD (so potentially they do both at the same time if the title has both format releases - which be where you might have been confused )

I have to go back and compare. Of course those Mosaics present the music in "running order" not album order but when I have time I'll compare some tracks. Those are all analog too so.....

@@trackingangle929 I did exactly this recently. The Mosaic Milestones destroys the Mofi and a ton of alternatives (Grundman, Absolute Analogue, Kevin Gray versions, RK Smith Mono, even the Mosaic) sound better than the Mofi KOB, but all other Miles are superior from Mofi.

@@trackingangle929 I forgot: the Sketches of Spain Mosaic and the Original and the Grundman are superior to the Mofi for me.

@@trackingangle929 I would love to hear your thoughts. (Maybe an article/series of videos....?) I treasure those sets - which I got when they were issued. I remember you doing an in-depth comparison of the CD and vinyl versions of the Live at the Plugged Nickel (not in CD's favor), but as the MoFis came out you demurred because the Mosaics were out-of-print and already very expensive. BTW so excited about the new venture (I still own all my original Tracking Angle magazines).

@@comeon9796 That is so interesting! I got a few of the MoFis of later electric Miles and the live gigs and was not disappointed.

You want to sell it?

Yes. I have plenty of that/those genres

@@trackingangle929 What do you think of the sound quality of those vinyl releases?

This is the best suggestion I've heard in the midst of all of this.. in fact this is the one record I would buy with the words DSD imprinted on Beck's forehead.

ditto! and thanks for the great content michael.

If you saw my inbox, never mind what's here from "Chris" you'd better understand. I agree it detracts but being called "fraud", "crook", etc. is really never pleasant. I do my best to be an honest broker of facts. I buy all the gear in my system and get accused of getting it free and it really is annoying as you can imagine.....

Best comment on this channel! No one likes a grumpy old man.

@@trackingangle929 Understandable. No one likes fingerpointing. They don't know you. I don't know you. Keep up the good work and ignore all comments. Mine included.

@@trackingangle929 Michael, this is the nature of the Internet. Sadly. I personally don’t feel you deserve to be accused of any suspicious activities. You’ve always been very entertaining and have the best stories. You will NEVER not have detractors. But you have us. And we outnumber the a-holes. Continue putting your best foot forward and we will continue to listen and read.

Sincerity is good! However i still prefer vinyl to SACDs. I'll come over and set up your turntable....

Please report back! Especially about the frequency balance....

@@trackingangle929 It is documented that my friend(professional musician and phenomenal guitar player himself) who has a vinyl RU-vid channel, discussed this back when we both first got our Mofi One Step Couldn't Stand the Weather. I think our chief complaint of the entire album was how SRV's guitar was no longer the star of the show, but was somehow "muddied" in the mix. I was comparing the Mofi then to Spotify streaming of the original :( . I searched and found an original pressing after that. Just now, listening back to back, this is my synopsis: I played both albums without adjusting anything, ,except the turntable speed. In the original pressing, the bass guitar is right where it is supposed to be, under the rest of the music. The rim shots of the snare drum are crisp and piercing. The cymbals sparkle and sizzle. When SRV comes in on vocals, his voice is characteristically rough, but there is a pure tone in the center of it. His voice is dead center and in front of his guitar amp that is slightly above and to his right. The drum kit is behind and slightly to his left. A point of reference to me was the "pick rake" right after the lyrics "two by four"... I involuntarily visualized a zoom in shot of his hand holding the pick and raking the strings. It even evoked a visualization of SRV's trademark grimace on his face. I did in fact jump a bit at the "I heard a pistol shoot..." spot. Couldn't help it. There was space and live air in the song, and unmistakable soundstage. The first thing that struck me when the Mofi One Step started spinning was the overpowering low frequencies. The ever-so-slightly off tune bass guitar was relegated to the Star of the Show throughout the entire track. What is it called when the bass rumbles too much? That's what it did, and it seemed to have to0 much reverb or a bit of echo, leaving one tone to linger into the next. The track was impressively silent, as in zero vinyl noise, no ticks, no clicks, no pops. Also, no feeling of air moving around in space. The bass, to me was a distraction. I could have turned down the sub, but I wanted to listen with identical settings, and with myself positioned in exactly the same place in the room. When SRV came in with his lyrics I was shocked. His voice was not the same. The EQ was changed from the original, significantly. His voice also lacked the inner pure tone that is actually dominant in the original pressing, as opposed to the fuzzy overtones and undertones that the Mofi overplayed. His voice was pushed back into a small space in the mix, feeling and spatially "appearing" unnatural. The soundstage in the One Step is large, surrounded by the bass guitar booming off the walls of a square room, and everything else, including the supposed star, the guitar which is pushed too far back and squeezed. The cymbals lacked the high frequency sizzle. There was no air to breath in the One Step. Suffocating. I did not jump at the same places the Original Pressing made me jump. I was not enthralled as I was hearing the original pressing. I actually have had the original pressing for several months, but played it the first time just now, as part of this comparison. I am spinning it now again, just to enjoy. :)

I left AnalogPlanet 6/15. It's owned by the company that owns Stereophile magazine. I left that as well and joined The Absolute Sound.

It already did

Put yourself in his position. Constantly having your integrity called into question would probably get old too.

@@gonzaljevic Well of course no one's forcing you to watch. But read the comment above from "Chris" who tells me I've lost the plot in my own life in part because he wrongly believes I get all of the costly audio gear I have here for free. How would you react over time to get lies about yourself thrown in your face? Things like "you are a crook", "you are corrupt" etc. I really don't care if people disagree with my opinions but the other stuff is something else and over time it can get to you....

@@trackingangle929 Funny how you throw in "audio equipment I have here" How about audio equipment you've acquired over the years?

@@trackingangle929 there are so many positive comments here and these people are not getting a reply while you're wasting your time with haters. I can only imagine how it feels but just let it go and save your precious time for those who care. Haters gonna hate... Thank you for all your reviews, videos and for so many things I've learned from you.

All Jews look alike

@@trackingangle929 Is Fremer Jewish?

@@jn3750 He is.Though he looks Afro-American

😂😂😂😂

Yes. Michael (another Michael!) wrote for AnalogPlanet and will write for TrackingAngle.com when it goes live later this summer. Great guy!

Not at all! 3 step process produces a "father" (presses the records in 1-step) that can be plated to produce a "mother" (grooved part) that is then plated again to produce a stamper. A "mother" can produce many many many stampers so ....

I'll be there next weekend!

I have an early but not first press so that's the best I can do....