You are correct! I did write that review. Happens. I had also forgotten I had the Bernie cut until I played it against the MoFi… and I will not re-edit the video. It is what it is… those who never make mistakes are free to have at me but what’s not a mistake is that Bernie’s cut is much better..
@@trackingangle929 I bought this pressing after reading your review. I must say that I was not surprised by the sound quality. I think it's the only time it's happened to me with a recommendation from you (I do like the MoFi Miles Davis).
I held off for quite some time on buying the MOFI as I had the Bernie cut which does sound amazing. I finally decided to buy the MOFI as I thought I would regret it once it was out of print, and they couldn't go back to the analog tape (obviously tape concerns have been revealed to be a non-issue since this is from DSD). Upon hearing the MOFI version the elevated bass really stuck out and not necessarily in a good way. I do think the Bernie version is better but the MOFI versions is really quiet and is amazingly spacious, but the bass still feels odd. I don't mind owning it as an alternative take, but it is really a matter of opinion on which is better, though my guess is the Bernie version maybe truer to the tape and what was on original pressings.
I believe your a good man Michael and am very grateful for all your work. Obviously you've been around the scene for a long time and done massive amounts to keep the industry alive and strong. In some ways the whole MoFi issue could be a blessing for less well off folk such as myself that just want to access great sounding analogue at reasonable prices.
The Marvin Gaye is a problem in europe. The hypesticker says "cut by kg" but that is not the case. The eu version is cut from digital by Lawrence Dunster. So we got scrwd over by the record company.
Keep up the good work Mr. Fremer, I really enjoy your reviews and your presentation. You do a very good job of bringing good information and I know you are very experienced in all that is about music and good equipment. I like all the places you go to and the people you interview. Thanks!
The Dire Straits comments really got my attention as I have been so pleased with all 5 MoFi releases of their music. I have original pressings of all and felt the MoFi were a great improvement in overall dynamics and presentation. I have two copies of the 1978 self titled album and listed to both and then put on the MoFi and just love it.
Yes, I find it very curious how he describes this release in this video. I would understand if he finds the GB reissue a bit harsh and grainy in comparison to the original pressing. But, there's no way he finds the MoFi harsh in comparison to the BG cut. I'm not a fan of MoFi but, just like you, I find their dire straits reissues incredibly good. Same with the Miles Davis reissues
David Crosby has one of my fav rock and roll quotes “I was kicked out of the Byrds because I was an asshole.” His honesty is always fun - his takes on music takes are always hot
Michael, what’s changed since you reviewed the Dire Straits where you wrote. “If you are a fan, you’ll want to upgrade to this. If you’re not, it’s still worth considering if just as a demo test record to help determine your system’s transient precision and clarity and especially its bass and mid-bass performance. You might even start to enjoy the music. Much to my surprise I did.”
Hi mr fremer I love your videos on RUclips and would like to thank you for all you have done over the years for our great hobby I’m from Uk and around same age you are the man thank you my friend for all you have done for vinyl 👌
I had a chance to chat with Geoff Edgers behind scenes with Michael Ludwigs... very nice guy. Thanks again for chatting with me the other day, Michael. I love the fact that you are true to yourself and critics be damned. 🥰
Honestly the best blood on the tracks I've heard is the digital CBS half speed mastered version. They fixed the speed issues. It's hard to get but totally worth it. I agree with most of these but I really enjoy the David Crosby mofi out of all of these. His voice may not be as lush but the instrumentation and backing vocals sound better to me. The supervinyl is a big plus too with the extreme quietness. And its one of the few all analog ones. However many of these are poor, like heart like a wheel is horrible and people even noticed that before this debacle. There's parts of the dire straits I preferred on the mofi and some on the original. All in all mofis EQ is exactly what you've said, they try to make it sound new and amazing at first listen but when you sit down and truly listen to it it's just equalized to hell and often inferior to the originals. The mofis are only superior when the original album was recorded or mastered poorly, like surrealistic pillow or the miles davis releases. Or the bands big pink due to the original having the bass lapped off. But even many of their all analog pressings are inferior. Their foreigner and cars self titled are vastly inferior to the cheap originals. But then foreigner 4 and heartbreak city sound better. So it's a crap shoot. But I'm personally done with mofi, the only ones I will buy in the future are American beauty and workingmens dead because they did do a good job with those and they're analog.
I agree! Some of the Mo-Fi recordings actually had me doubting my Ortofon cartridge! Then, I'd play a non-MoFi, and it would be natural and smooth. Years ago, selling high-end hi-fi in a Chicago retail store I suspected that all they did was boost; if you are going to boost the "master recordings," go to the multi-track studio master, remix it and boost whatever on the relevant instruments themselves, thusly avoiding corrupting vocals and other instruments not needing boost. Otherwise, leave it alone!
I still like my MoFi records, but I’ve always preferred my originals. My Pixies UK originals and a 1 or 2 US promos / originals do sound better than my MoFi pressings, but i love that band, so I’m glad to own them. My MoFi copy of Natalie Merchant’s “Titgerlily” sounds fantastic to me. It originally only came out on CD in 1994 or so, until MoFi pressed it in 2007 or ‘08, unavailable on vinyl before that. My SRV US originals are good enough for me and sound great. Thanks, Michael. Great vid.
I bought a few Elvis Costello's from music direct a few years ago when there were blowing them out on sale under 40 bucks each he's one of my favorite artists anyway good to hear a good review!
@@tubinonyou Did you ever see a16rpm record? I bought my first records around 1970 and there were none around then as far as I know. Spooky; the variable speed of records, came to my mind just as I clicked on notifications.
Great video, I really enjoy when you talk about the difference in pressings and, in your opinion, which one you prefer and why. Please continue to do mores. I would rather not buy 5 versions of an lp to get the best one, I would rather buy the definitive sounding copy; especially when some of these duds cost 125.00
Grundman, Ricker, Gray, Ludwig, Hoffman, Piros, Marino. Don’t have to agree 100% with their philosophies on mastering but we are lucky as heck they do what they have done and are doing.
EQ and other mastering tools have always been MOFI's stock-in-trade, no matter what anyone says. As for the tape azimuth issue, I'd love to see some non-MOFI engineers comment on that. I'd also like to see a double blind test to show whether or not very minor deviations in tape azimuth are even audible to ordinary people.
Mikey - great video - so far much/most/all of the dialog around MoFi has been the misdirection of the DSD source vs. “analog” marketing hype…NOT that they did not sound nearly as good as other releases as you emphasize here - thanks for the insights
Have an original UK 1st press of Dire Straits and the MoFi. The MoFi I thought was "boomier". Liked it, different sounding to the UK. The UK sounds great. Sounds like a really good recording with average mastering to vinyl. Have ordered the Grundman.
Hi Mike, found a copy of Almost Blue by Elvis Costello, for £2 !! , was a bit dirty, so cleaned it with my disc o static Cleaner , Wow, this recording as you state is Amazing, i remember " Good year for the Roses" was in uk charts as a single, was 9 yeas old at the time ...
Hi Mike Great to catch up on your latest Video, will have to check out that Elvis record, Elvis Presley, never seen it before.I have been listening to some old Budget record Labels ( eg Music For Pleasure ) here in UK, amazed at the sound quality of these pressings, Artists include Geoff Love & Jack Parnell Big Band
I knew you had good ears,,, i have been reading your articles in one way or another since the early 90's and the past 10 years or so mofi stopped sending you records after the bad reviews you have been giving them, and than you just stopped reviewing them,, ,, thank god someone else agrees with me that mofi has been heavy handed on the eq, im sick of arguing about it with people,,, well if the best ears in the business hears the heavy handed eq , than i must not be crazy,,, Thanks for this video Michael
@@trackingangle929 lol,,,, your pretty much dead on ,,, forever changes mfsl your review was dead on the rhino was better,,, the dire straits mfsl is bad,,, dead on again,,,, mofi stopped sending you records because of your unfavorable reviews,,, and than we find out the truth,,, yeah i say your ears are pretty good,,,lol
I have read quite a few of your negative MOFI reviews and I always guessed that you were not pleased by many MOFI records. I think that this “guess” was caused by you not reviewing many important MOFI releases. I like your knowledge, opinions and how you present them Michael. Thank you.
I have the original Mobile pressing of Waiting for Columbus and it sounds really good to me. I also have an OG of Linda Ronstadt's Heart Like A Wheel and many other or her albums. They sound really good and Linda has the best rock female voice in history where I'm concerned.
Blood on the Tracks. I have an original. I found one in the shrink wrap, real first pressing, unopened. Cleaned it thoroughly on a VPI using Audio intelligents enzyme, super cleaner and 3X distilled water. Sounds great. Of the 10 odd different presses I have, it would be the one that I like the best. I have the MoFi one step. Thought it was very good.
I would be interested in follow up on what the guy had to say after showing him the difference with the not so good mofi editions compared to non mofi editions. This video is much appreciated by us audiofools. Perhaps it will help lead to better mofi records and just records in general in the future !
I really like the short critiques of albums; which sound good IYO, which are worth getting or is another version preferable. I think this is a good alternative to a longer review in which there’s really not much to say about a version, and it clears out your unreviewed queue, more or less.
The problem is that if you have a superb system the flaws of shitty new records will become even more painfull .. ANYWAY .. the originals, most of the times, are superior. just let your ears measure. If a smile appears on your face, you have found the right one. As for old records, could you review different quality and pricing. I remember from RCA that in the eighties there was entry level Pickwick (I could afford as a child), The RCA International midprice (allready better) and top level RCA Victor. Other labels had similar. Cheers Michael, I dig your knowledge sharing and I just wish I had a room like yours.
Great idea re. the MoFI guys getting out of their shell. IMHO remasters should prioritize legit dynamics over false dynamics i.e. boosted bass and treble that you called out. No-one is going to listen to these on ear buds on a train. Assume your audience is going to listen on decent gear. If anything, boost the mids just a tad in conjunction with all the fancy phase stuff they do to really bring the vocals home.
Mr Fremer, what do you recommend for In a Silent Way by Miles Davis? I have a 2 eye where Side A is perfect but Side B has some simmering distortion...
I hear you. I have a couple of MoFis but my psychological limit is about $35, and that has to be something I listen to from beginning to end, and they are few and in-between.
I think your money is better spent on a clean original copy. Believe me - I have spent 1000s on mofi records only to realize an original pressing in good condition is better. There are exceptions like Dark side of the moon which is nice on mofi.
You have good taste, all those are good albums, I have all of them, all originals, pretty sure most collectors have them. Not mind blowing records or too hard to find, I just don't understand why people would want new versions of those. Having one copy is good enough for me.
Great video, Michael. I've been seeing copies of the 2-LP What's Going On that have a sticker saying that they were pressed in the Czech Republic; are those the ones that were poorly mastered? I remember hearing that the European version was not as good as the American one.
The problem with the Czech GZ pressings (some which were stickered saying they were done at Precision) has nothing to do with mastering. It has to do with poor quality pressing jobs. Kevin Gray mastered that one AAA and I think he did a great job. Unfortunately GZ pressing quality is not all that good. I tried about four copies and all had issues like factory warping, non-fill, and off-center sides. Hopefully UME will get it together and have a better plant eventually press up the Kevin Gray version. The European version pressed at Dublin Vinyl was mastered by someone else at Curvepusher Mastering. Unfortunately it was stickered with the Kevin Gray info, prompting a lot of people to get upset. That's a record company screw up. No opinion on the sound as I have not heard it.
I wonder why no one ever seems to mention the Analog Production 2-45 Stevie Ray Vaughan series...? You compared the MFSL to the original, but *WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE AP version!* 😁 I have 2 of the series and on my system they honestly sound great!
Thanks Michael. Now I'm beginning to honestly wonder if what I love in the MOFI 2x45 of Alan Parson's "Eye in the Sky" isn't a smiley face that gave me a smiley face...SMH
I have to agree on the Dire Straights self titled. The Mo-Fi version was not up to snuff. While their Brothers In Arms 45 RPM was fantastic, something happened with the self titled release. I don't know why, but they really messed this one up and that's too bad.
The Mofi tweaking isn't just with the vinyl, it's there on the sacd of Desperado, struggling to get through it I put on my original lp , EMI UK pressed copy and could tell that was far more balenced. I would of been gutted if I'd of paid the £175 the one step vinyl costs here. This "from the original master tapes " business. I'm with you. Like just how many times did we get a record that was cut direct from the master tape? Many of mine weren't like EMI cuts from the Motown/MCA/Asylum catalogues when they had distribution over here plus the local CBS cuts (many by Tim Young), from copies and yet they're great records. Your system is I am sure better than mine but no system can do all it is capable of without great sounding records (or cds for that matter) and people need to use their ears, do a bit of research towards finding great copies rather than buying blind expensive new copies that often fall short. Thanks for an informative video.
The "at any rate(s)" don't really bother me... Thanks for the going through the Elvis Costello records. I have an Imperial Bedroom US pressing.. it's good to know the MOFI sounds better!
Bro, you REALLY should check out that 'MOFI - Hitler's Reaction' It is the funniest thing ever. You are mentioned too, and the reference is very funny! Make sure to check it out!
Michael, do you have the 2009 CSN debut Rhino Records remaster? Discogs credits the mastering to Bernie Grundman. To my ears It sounds compressed compared to the original. Would love to get your opinion.
Great video , always love it. You may disagree with this . But my take on it . My mofi’s from the 70s I really enjoy , the modern ones , that I have mostly sold now , the only ones I still love are the Billy Joel collections , I still prefer them . But strangely enough the ones I have from the silver label, that doesn’t get the original master recording banner, and I know is from a digital source , I actually like better than the master recording banner , the Cyndi Laupers and Tears for Fears sound fantastic to me. And that doesn’t make any sense at all. Even the eq doesn’t sound boosted . Just my opinion . But no more mofi for me, I’ve lost faith in them. All analog all the way for me
Good to see you around Fremer. Hoping for huge boxsets for each of the first five Kate Bush albums like the big Zeppelin ones they did (with lots of demos and studio alternate takes). Do you have any pull with her people to make it happen? There are a lot of rabid fans of her out there.....and yes I was into her decades before this new craze. Now would be a good time for her to do it though.
So why the heck did you not review these titles when they came out? Afraid of giving a bad review? Isn't it the job of an effective critic to give both positive and negative reviews? This is like a restaurant critic fawning over every meal or a film reviewer only seeing and writing about "good" movies. Not only does this hurt your credibility, but it's a real disservice to your readers. How do I know what's good or bad (and what to spend my money on), if everything is good?
Mike this is off topic but could you do something on stylus cleaner. The old site had an article about how zero dust style cleaners could be leaving guck behind. What do you use?
Oh man, your standing right in front of the OMA! Please can you do a video on it. OMA get next to no coverage, I know generally they don’t do the review circuit thing but you own it! Oh, and personally I would rather hear a negative review and explanation as to what’s wrong with it and then a recommendation of an alternative that sounds better and why. These records are not cheap and most times only available by mail. I used to like HiFi news and record review in the UK did this years ago and it really helped in choosing.
@@trackingangle929 Oh that´s wonderful, thank you Michael. Would love it if you could do an OMA mill tour at some point, from the videos I have seen Jonathan has some fascinating old gear in there.
If you thought these records sounded poor when they were released, why not let people know at the time? You could have helped people make informed buying decisions. Now that most of these are long sold out, you’re letting us know your opinions when it’s inconsequential.
Omg you big baby. Do you need your hand held for EVERYTHING? You wanna make “informed buying decisions”? Inform yourself. Someone reviewed these releases…do your own research and find out what they said. I can smell your fear.
@ Mjanovec _Contradictory comment, he reviewed some not all if the Mofi version is poo who cares if it's out of print? Informing buyers you say? Dude your hilarious 😂 Fremer bashing seems to be for the uninformed? You have 20 likes I doubt most of those are from people who own mofi versions 🤔 😅 Most true Audiophiles buy OG before Mofi version's for this very reason. Michael has had his reputation hammered by Mofi he was hung out to dry. Most of the vinyl community is looking for something or someone to blame. Jim Davis is the one that stood to make millions out of cutting digital media to vinyl... Leaving Audiophiles purchase believing it was ANALOGUE cut! So Jim Davis certainly defrauded the vinyl community he threw Michael Fremer to the wolf's on the Michael Jackson Thriller release removing and ultimately changing the press release.... Now Michael is trying his best to make good of a very shifty situation indeed... Facts are online worthwhile steering clear of anything Mofi.com... And seek out the first pressings which Michael is by far king of collecting. .. How many times have you ever emailed Michael Fremer and asked which copy's are the best sounding vinyl? No way better to come on to his channel to blame him for Mofi's crapy engineered vinyl pressings!
Yes, it is very interesting and I have some catching up to do on my listening (I moved from America to Europe and my system has been in storage/transit for the best part of a year). I bought the KG mastered Marvin Gaye but haven't listened to it yet - will compare with the one-step. Same for the BG mastered Little Feat against the yellow labelled MFSL. I also have the BG mastered Dire Straits releases from 2009/10 which are quite something and the MFSL Love Over Gold which uses DSD 256 to DXD and the plangent process... interesting. Lastly, I have the BG/CB mastered version of David Crosby and the new MFSL to compare. Interesting times; I'm quite curious to see what differences I find. Thank you for the video!
Been listening to a recording of Tony Bennett on Philips Label, Album title " Listen Easy" arranged & conducted by Don Costa, not a live Lp but has in top left hand corner of Lp " Fairmont Hotel , San Francisco , sounds superb, will have to find an original US pressing of the one you Reviewed
Michael, saying "at any rate" is a part of who you are. It's a shame that people have pointed it out to you so often that you now catch yourself saying it. Screw them all, and just be you.
Yeah, I would have never noticed if he didn't acknowledge it! Would make a good drinking game for college kids, though. Every time you hear "at any rate", take a drink!
Today I started with Kind of Blue VG Original pressing, then to Legacy reissue, now on Mofi 45. Next will be Analog Productions 45 UHQR. So far. The Mofi sounds very similar to the Original Pressing The bass sounds plucked as it should. It is missing some realism in the cymbals, just aa tiny bit. The standard reissue is dull. The bass is "blurred". I enjoy listening to the Mofi 45.
Hello , I really enjoy your vids.. noticed the shirt ..//in any rate//,, (lol) I'd like to know what are nice earphones to get ..(I'm currently shopping)//thnx K
IIMHO one of the issues is that the reason for a reissue is to improve the sound of the original LP. If that was not the case, then the master tape should be played straight to the lathe with no EQ adjustments and then do the pressing. Many feel that improvements in EQ can be made and that is a preference that they can make as they are making the investment in this reissue business. This is a very tricky business and most of these issues will be with the monitor speakers one uses to determine what EQ changes they "want" to make. We may not own the same speakers and our hearing is not the same as the mastering engineer, so it is all a part of it. The other issues are adding effects, compression, or peak limiting is also dangerous games to play as they can clearly be overdone and not what everyone will like. The whole issue is just sad to me. This would be a good time for a real comparison of a DSD transfer vs. a master tape lacquer cut with nothing done between the process and see who can hear the difference, is there is one. I have the LP and the SACD/CD of K622 and I can't find anything to complain about with any of the formats that I bought from Stereophile right after it was available. It was a science project for me.
"Mo-Fi’s Miles reissues keep coming. Porgy and Bess another atmospheric Miles-Gil Evans collaboration dropped early 2020. While all of these Miles albums are musically significant and many are sonically excellent on both original pressings and on these reissues, the biggest sonic surprise was how much better the reissued quintet (Shorter, Hancock, Carter, Williams) recordings sound compared to the originals. Whatever happened in the original mastering has been vastly improved on Nefertiti, Miles in the Sky and Filles De Kilimanjaro. If you have originals and think, you’re covered, you’re not! Get these while you can." - Michael Fremer.
So really we are talking about mastering choices of different pressings and what each of us prefer. I am glad now we can stop all this "analog" vs "digital" nonsense.
I very really buy audiophile albums, I just stick to the Original UK pressings. However I did buy the MoFi Imagine album many years ago bought it sucked so stopped buying mofi reissues, that is until the Simon & Garfunkel One Step came out. I just had to try it so got it shipped over from the US (I’m from the U.K.) but that sucks as well! Am I just unlucky?
Mike so what's the verdict MOFI Ya or Nay What happened to Analog Spark there's nothing on the site... Now Laura Nyro's LP is 60 bucks on discogs ... Well at least I got the second one...
I just sold that Little Feat MoFi album on Ebay. I don't know your channel, but find it interesting that now that the truth has come out about MoFi I find someone saying how bad they sound. (Gosh, now that I read through the comments I see other people saying the exact same thing,) I'm not a MoFi person and may have just sold the only 2 I owned. New reissues don't interest me at all, and "audiophile" reissues even less. I did buy a couple reissues randomly at Target because they were only $11 each, which I would do again in heartbeat at that price.
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Fremer reviewd Dire Straits self-titled on Analog Planet and said it's "Sonic Spectacular". What am I missing?
Otherwise, I agree.
You are correct! I did write that review. Happens. I had also forgotten I had the Bernie cut until I played it against the MoFi… and I will not re-edit the video. It is what it is… those who never make mistakes are free to have at me but what’s not a mistake is that Bernie’s cut is much better..
I pinned your comment…
@@trackingangle929 I bought this pressing after reading your review. I must say that I was not surprised by the sound quality. I think it's the only time it's happened to me with a recommendation from you (I do like the MoFi Miles Davis).
MOFI said in the video they don’t actually change the sound of the album? Although the first thing I noticed was the extra bottom end.
I held off for quite some time on buying the MOFI as I had the Bernie cut which does sound amazing. I finally decided to buy the MOFI as I thought I would regret it once it was out of print, and they couldn't go back to the analog tape (obviously tape concerns have been revealed to be a non-issue since this is from DSD). Upon hearing the MOFI version the elevated bass really stuck out and not necessarily in a good way. I do think the Bernie version is better but the MOFI versions is really quiet and is amazingly spacious, but the bass still feels odd. I don't mind owning it as an alternative take, but it is really a matter of opinion on which is better, though my guess is the Bernie version maybe truer to the tape and what was on original pressings.
I believe your a good man Michael and am very grateful for all your work. Obviously you've been around the scene for a long time and done massive amounts to keep the industry alive and strong. In some ways the whole MoFi issue could be a blessing for less well off folk such as myself that just want to access great sounding analogue at reasonable prices.
He's been around for a *LONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG* time! 😃
The Marvin Gaye is a problem in europe.
The hypesticker says "cut by kg" but that is not the case.
The eu version is cut from digital by Lawrence Dunster. So we got scrwd over by the record company.
"They sequester themselves in Sevastopol."
First time I've ever heard that sentence. At any rate... Love your videos.
Another very insightful review post Michael....At any rate, I enjoyed it
I always learn something new from watching your reviews.
Good for you Michael.
Just keep going. And say what you think.
Love your channel. So much information I get from you. Thanks
Keep up the good work Mr. Fremer, I really enjoy your reviews and your presentation. You do a very good job of bringing good information and I know you are very experienced in all that is about music and good equipment. I like all the places you go to and the people you interview. Thanks!
The Little Feat and Marvin Gaye are 2 of my favorite releases this year! Thanks for continuing to give this the info!! Love what you do!
Your honesty really comes through, thanks for a refreshing report
The Dire Straits comments really got my attention as I have been so pleased with all 5 MoFi releases of their music. I have original pressings of all and felt the MoFi were a great improvement in overall dynamics and presentation. I have two copies of the 1978 self titled album and listed to both and then put on the MoFi and just love it.
Yes, I find it very curious how he describes this release in this video. I would understand if he finds the GB reissue a bit harsh and grainy in comparison to the original pressing. But, there's no way he finds the MoFi harsh in comparison to the BG cut. I'm not a fan of MoFi but, just like you, I find their dire straits reissues incredibly good. Same with the Miles Davis reissues
David Crosby has one of my fav rock and roll quotes “I was kicked out of the Byrds because I was an asshole.”
His honesty is always fun - his takes on music takes are always hot
Michael, what’s changed since you reviewed the Dire Straits where you wrote.
“If you are a fan, you’ll want to upgrade to this. If you’re not, it’s still worth considering if just as a demo test record to help determine your system’s transient precision and clarity and especially its bass and mid-bass performance. You might even start to enjoy the music. Much to my surprise I did.”
Hi mr fremer I love your videos on RUclips and would like to thank you for all you have done over the years for our great hobby I’m from Uk and around same age you are the man thank you my friend for all you have done for vinyl 👌
Mike, I have been reading your stuff for 30+ years now and remember you did a review of one of those LPs!
Love my BG cut Dire Straits S/T pressed at Pallas that cost $25! Clear, defined, spacious & lush - great version & the one to get. -Russ
I had a chance to chat with Geoff Edgers behind scenes with Michael Ludwigs... very nice guy. Thanks again for chatting with me the other day, Michael. I love the fact that you are true to yourself and critics be damned. 🥰
Go Rachel! 🤘🏻
At any rate, I really enjoyed this video! (Now I’m going to buy the Kevin Gray ‘What’s Going On’ - thanks!
Thanks for this video. I can’t afford to buy multiple copies to find the best sound. You’ve saved me time & money.
Honestly the best blood on the tracks I've heard is the digital CBS half speed mastered version. They fixed the speed issues. It's hard to get but totally worth it. I agree with most of these but I really enjoy the David Crosby mofi out of all of these. His voice may not be as lush but the instrumentation and backing vocals sound better to me. The supervinyl is a big plus too with the extreme quietness. And its one of the few all analog ones.
However many of these are poor, like heart like a wheel is horrible and people even noticed that before this debacle. There's parts of the dire straits I preferred on the mofi and some on the original. All in all mofis EQ is exactly what you've said, they try to make it sound new and amazing at first listen but when you sit down and truly listen to it it's just equalized to hell and often inferior to the originals. The mofis are only superior when the original album was recorded or mastered poorly, like surrealistic pillow or the miles davis releases. Or the bands big pink due to the original having the bass lapped off. But even many of their all analog pressings are inferior. Their foreigner and cars self titled are vastly inferior to the cheap originals. But then foreigner 4 and heartbreak city sound better. So it's a crap shoot.
But I'm personally done with mofi, the only ones I will buy in the future are American beauty and workingmens dead because they did do a good job with those and they're analog.
At any rate Michael don't worry about it, my wife constantly corrects me for constantly saying 'anyway'. Loved the video!
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I agree! Some of the Mo-Fi recordings actually had me doubting my Ortofon cartridge! Then, I'd play a non-MoFi, and it would be natural and smooth. Years ago, selling high-end hi-fi in a Chicago retail store I suspected that all they did was boost; if you are going to boost the "master recordings," go to the multi-track studio master, remix it and boost whatever on the relevant instruments themselves, thusly avoiding corrupting vocals and other instruments not needing boost. Otherwise, leave it alone!
I still like my MoFi records, but I’ve always preferred my originals. My Pixies UK originals and a 1 or 2 US promos / originals do sound better than my MoFi pressings, but i love that band, so I’m glad to own them. My MoFi copy of Natalie Merchant’s “Titgerlily” sounds fantastic to me. It originally only came out on CD in 1994 or so, until MoFi pressed it in 2007 or ‘08, unavailable on vinyl before that. My SRV US originals are good enough for me and sound great. Thanks, Michael. Great vid.
Gday Nick P 🎸🍺
@@3dimensionsofmusic3D Hey, Greg! ✌️🔊😊🎶
I bought a few Elvis Costello's from music direct a few years ago when there were blowing them out on sale under 40 bucks each he's one of my favorite artists anyway good to hear a good review!
Change from the channel's moniker to "At Any Rate". Of course your care, at any rate, somebody has to. Thumbs up!
It could be a double entendre with RPM's in mind.
@@tubinonyou Did you ever see a16rpm record? I bought my first records around 1970 and there were none around then as far as I know. Spooky; the variable speed of records, came to my mind just as I clicked on notifications.
@@SubTroppo No, I haven't. Sounds like something Techmoan might cover!
Great video, I really enjoy when you talk about the difference in pressings and, in your opinion, which one you prefer and why. Please continue to do mores. I would rather not buy 5 versions of an lp to get the best one, I would rather buy the definitive sounding copy; especially when some of these duds cost 125.00
Grundman, Ricker, Gray, Ludwig, Hoffman, Piros, Marino. Don’t have to agree 100% with their philosophies on mastering but we are lucky as heck they do what they have done and are doing.
great video Michael 👍😎 azmi, Malaysia
EQ and other mastering tools have always been MOFI's stock-in-trade, no matter what anyone says. As for the tape azimuth issue, I'd love to see some non-MOFI engineers comment on that. I'd also like to see a double blind test to show whether or not very minor deviations in tape azimuth are even audible to ordinary people.
fwiw , we need guys like you to call out the less good pressings , i would certainly like to see more of this . 😘
Agree with you on Imperial Bedroom. I’m lucky enough to have the Mofi as well. A great example of them getting it right.
Great video.
Best shirt I have seen in years.
Mikey - great video - so far much/most/all of the dialog around MoFi has been the misdirection of the DSD source vs. “analog” marketing hype…NOT that they did not sound nearly as good as other releases as you emphasize here - thanks for the insights
Have an original UK 1st press of Dire Straits and the MoFi. The MoFi I thought was "boomier". Liked it, different sounding to the UK. The UK sounds great. Sounds like a really good recording with average mastering to vinyl. Have ordered the Grundman.
Horses for courses as they say! I prefer my original UK pressing to the Grundman.
Hi Mike, found a copy of Almost Blue by Elvis Costello, for £2 !! , was a bit dirty, so cleaned it with my disc o static Cleaner , Wow, this recording as you state is Amazing, i remember " Good year for the Roses" was in uk charts as a single, was 9 yeas old at the time ...
At any rate, an excellent presentation - thank you.
Great video! Thanks for the information.
Hi Mike Great to catch up on your latest Video, will have to check out that Elvis record, Elvis Presley, never seen it before.I have been listening to some old Budget record Labels ( eg Music For Pleasure ) here in UK, amazed at the sound quality of these pressings, Artists include Geoff Love & Jack Parnell Big Band
Costello! 😆
Apologies Mike I had a few glasses of wine, and thought 1st Lp was " The King"' its the other Guy Married to Diana K
Thanks for this video.. perhaps a follow up video titled "Mobile Fidelity Records I prefer over the OG "....
Good on you Mikey. You don't have to justify your actions to me. Love ya work! "Anyway" may be a good substitute for "Any rate"
I knew you had good ears,,, i have been reading your articles in one way or another since the early 90's and the past 10 years or so mofi stopped sending you records after the bad reviews you have been giving them, and than you just stopped reviewing them,, ,, thank god someone else agrees with me that mofi has been heavy handed on the eq, im sick of arguing about it with people,,, well if the best ears in the business hears the heavy handed eq , than i must not be crazy,,, Thanks for this video Michael
I don’t claim best ears or golden ears or any such thing but I’m pretty good
@@trackingangle929 lol,,,, your pretty much dead on ,,, forever changes mfsl your review was dead on the rhino was better,,, the dire straits mfsl is bad,,, dead on again,,,, mofi stopped sending you records because of your unfavorable reviews,,, and than we find out the truth,,, yeah i say your ears are pretty good,,,lol
I have read quite a few of your negative MOFI reviews and I always guessed that you were not pleased by many MOFI records. I think that this “guess” was caused by you not reviewing many important MOFI releases.
I like your knowledge, opinions and how you present them Michael. Thank you.
I have the original Mobile pressing of Waiting for Columbus and it sounds really good to me. I also have an OG of Linda Ronstadt's Heart Like A Wheel and many other or her albums. They sound really good and Linda has the best rock female voice in history where I'm concerned.
Blood on the Tracks. I have an original. I found one in the shrink wrap, real first pressing, unopened. Cleaned it thoroughly on a VPI using Audio intelligents enzyme, super cleaner and 3X distilled water. Sounds great. Of the 10 odd different presses I have, it would be the one that I like the best. I have the MoFi one step. Thought it was very good.
I’d say “very good” too but it’s also a bit “blown up”
I would be interested in follow up on what the guy had to say after showing him the difference with the not so good mofi editions compared to non mofi editions. This video is much appreciated by us audiofools. Perhaps it will help lead to better mofi records and just records in general in the future !
I really like the short critiques of albums; which sound good IYO, which are worth getting or is another version preferable. I think this is a good alternative to a longer review in which there’s really not much to say about a version, and it clears out your unreviewed queue, more or less.
The loudness button was on all receivers back in the day.
Yes but no everyone pushed it!
The problem is that if you have a superb system the flaws of shitty new records will become even more painfull .. ANYWAY .. the originals, most of the times, are superior. just let your ears measure. If a smile appears on your face, you have found the right one. As for old records, could you review different quality and pricing. I remember from RCA that in the eighties there was entry level Pickwick (I could afford as a child), The RCA International midprice (allready better) and top level RCA Victor. Other labels had similar. Cheers Michael, I dig your knowledge sharing and I just wish I had a room like yours.
Great idea re. the MoFI guys getting out of their shell. IMHO remasters should prioritize legit dynamics over false dynamics i.e. boosted bass and treble that you called out. No-one is going to listen to these on ear buds on a train. Assume your audience is going to listen on decent gear. If anything, boost the mids just a tad in conjunction with all the fancy phase stuff they do to really bring the vocals home.
Great video thanks. I've been trying various pressings to the Mofis I have. It's interesting how many do sound bass boosted.
Mr Fremer, what do you recommend for In a Silent Way by Miles Davis?
I have a 2 eye where Side A is perfect but Side B has some simmering distortion...
Hi Michael, what are the brands of the two turntables over your right shoulder? Is one of them now your main TT?
One is OMA k3 prototype. Other is new SME Model 60 I just reviewed (handed in review)
I never bought a MoFi record because they were too expensive. I’d like to try one and see how good they sound.
I hear you. I have a couple of MoFis but my psychological limit is about $35, and that has to be something I listen to from beginning to end, and they are few and in-between.
I think your money is better spent on a clean original copy. Believe me - I have spent 1000s on mofi records only to realize an original pressing in good condition is better. There are exceptions like Dark side of the moon which is nice on mofi.
You have good taste, all those are good albums, I have all of them, all originals, pretty sure most collectors have them. Not mind blowing records or too hard to find, I just don't understand why people would want new versions of those. Having one copy is good enough for me.
Great video, Michael. I've been seeing copies of the 2-LP What's Going On that have a sticker saying that they were pressed in the Czech Republic; are those the ones that were poorly mastered? I remember hearing that the European version was not as good as the American one.
The problem with the Czech GZ pressings (some which were stickered saying they were done at Precision) has nothing to do with mastering. It has to do with poor quality pressing jobs. Kevin Gray mastered that one AAA and I think he did a great job. Unfortunately GZ pressing quality is not all that good. I tried about four copies and all had issues like factory warping, non-fill, and off-center sides. Hopefully UME will get it together and have a better plant eventually press up the Kevin Gray version.
The European version pressed at Dublin Vinyl was mastered by someone else at Curvepusher Mastering. Unfortunately it was stickered with the Kevin Gray info, prompting a lot of people to get upset. That's a record company screw up. No opinion on the sound as I have not heard it.
@@dietchapstick7890 I lucked out. My copy was perfect (from Amazon)…
@@dietchapstick7890 Thanks for the information.
Wouldn't Crosby have to approve the test pressing? At any rate is your catch phrase, don't lose it.
You might have started a new youtube video trend, records that I haven’t reviewed!
I wonder why no one ever seems to mention the Analog Production 2-45 Stevie Ray Vaughan series...? You compared the MFSL to the original, but *WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE AP version!* 😁 I have 2 of the series and on my system they honestly sound great!
Thanks Michael. Now I'm beginning to honestly wonder if what I love in the MOFI 2x45 of Alan Parson's "Eye in the Sky" isn't a smiley face that gave me a smiley face...SMH
I have to agree on the Dire Straights self titled. The Mo-Fi version was not up to snuff. While their Brothers In Arms 45 RPM was fantastic, something happened with the self titled release. I don't know why, but they really messed this one up and that's too bad.
The Mofi tweaking isn't just with the vinyl, it's there on the sacd of Desperado, struggling to get through it I put on my original lp , EMI UK pressed copy and could tell that was far more balenced. I would of been gutted if I'd of paid the £175 the one step vinyl costs here.
This "from the original master tapes " business. I'm with you. Like just how many times did we get a record that was cut direct from the master tape?
Many of mine weren't like EMI cuts from the Motown/MCA/Asylum catalogues when they had distribution over here plus the local CBS cuts (many by Tim Young), from copies and yet they're great records.
Your system is I am sure better than mine but no system can do all it is capable of without great sounding records (or cds for that matter) and people need to use their ears, do a bit of research towards finding great copies rather than buying blind expensive new copies that often fall short.
Thanks for an informative video.
*would have been gutted if I'd have paid...
I’m glad that I have an OG of Heart Like a Wheel.
Agree with all but David Crosby one, it smokes the 50th anniversary and my original. What are your thoughts on the 50th?
Agree
Comparing Apples & Oranges. Significant sound improvement for those using sub $300 cartridge?
The "at any rate(s)" don't really bother me... Thanks for the going through the Elvis Costello records. I have an Imperial Bedroom US pressing.. it's good to know the MOFI sounds better!
Bro, you REALLY should check out that 'MOFI - Hitler's Reaction' It is the funniest thing ever. You are mentioned too, and the reference is very funny! Make sure to check it out!
Hi micheal. Should mofi be forced to put the 3 digit code on their vinyl. Eg aad or ddd. James in scotland.
I have a first pressing of If I can only remember my name and the 50 anniversary CD both are really good.
Michael, do you have the 2009 CSN debut Rhino Records remaster? Discogs credits the mastering to Bernie Grundman. To my ears It sounds compressed compared to the original. Would love to get your opinion.
Hi michael. What do you think about aad cds. Best regards from james in scotland.
Great video , always love it. You may disagree with this . But my take on it . My mofi’s from the 70s I really enjoy , the modern ones , that I have mostly sold now , the only ones I still love are the Billy Joel collections , I still prefer them . But strangely enough the ones I have from the silver label, that doesn’t get the original master recording banner, and I know is from a digital source , I actually like better than the master recording banner , the Cyndi Laupers and Tears for Fears sound fantastic to me. And that doesn’t make any sense at all. Even the eq doesn’t sound boosted . Just my opinion . But no more mofi for me, I’ve lost faith in them. All analog all the way for me
Good to see you around Fremer. Hoping for huge boxsets for each of the first five Kate Bush albums like the big Zeppelin ones they did (with lots of demos and studio alternate takes). Do you have any pull with her people to make it happen? There are a lot of rabid fans of her out there.....and yes I was into her decades before this new craze. Now would be a good time for her to do it though.
I always love hearing your take (good or bad) on vinyl, but PLEASE name the album and artist on camera for each record.
So why the heck did you not review these titles when they came out? Afraid of giving a bad review? Isn't it the job of an effective critic to give both positive and negative reviews? This is like a restaurant critic fawning over every meal or a film reviewer only seeing and writing about "good" movies. Not only does this hurt your credibility, but it's a real disservice to your readers. How do I know what's good or bad (and what to spend my money on), if everything is good?
Mike this is off topic but could you do something on stylus cleaner. The old site had an article about how zero dust style cleaners could be leaving guck behind. What do you use?
The original Warner Bros. CD of the Dire Straits debut is a more satisfying listen. It doesn't sound compressed like the MFSL.
The problem is virtually all Nashville studios now "Loudness War" compress and brickwall EVERYTHING they produce.
Oh man, your standing right in front of the OMA! Please can you do a video on it. OMA get next to no coverage, I know generally they don’t do the review circuit thing but you own it! Oh, and personally I would rather hear a negative review and explanation as to what’s wrong with it and then a recommendation of an alternative that sounds better and why. These records are not cheap and most times only available by mail. I used to like HiFi news and record review in the UK did this years ago and it really helped in choosing.
I’m going to do a room video and describe it in great detail soon!
@@trackingangle929 Oh that´s wonderful, thank you Michael. Would love it if you could do an OMA mill tour at some point, from the videos I have seen Jonathan has some fascinating old gear in there.
If you thought these records sounded poor when they were released, why not let people know at the time? You could have helped people make informed buying decisions. Now that most of these are long sold out, you’re letting us know your opinions when it’s inconsequential.
One issue is that promo copies go out last often after titles are sold out.
I did negatively review some like “Love Forever Changes”, “Oh Mercy” etc…
Omg you big baby. Do you need your hand held for EVERYTHING? You wanna make “informed buying decisions”? Inform yourself. Someone reviewed these releases…do your own research and find out what they said. I can smell your fear.
@ Mjanovec _Contradictory comment, he reviewed some not all if the Mofi version is poo who cares if it's out of print?
Informing buyers you say? Dude your hilarious 😂 Fremer bashing seems to be for the uninformed?
You have 20 likes I doubt most of those are from people who own mofi versions 🤔 😅
Most true Audiophiles buy OG before Mofi version's for this very reason.
Michael has had his reputation hammered by Mofi he was hung out to dry.
Most of the vinyl community is looking for something or someone to blame.
Jim Davis is the one that stood to make millions out of cutting digital media to vinyl...
Leaving Audiophiles purchase believing it was ANALOGUE cut!
So Jim Davis certainly defrauded the vinyl community he threw Michael Fremer to the wolf's on the Michael Jackson Thriller release removing and ultimately changing the press release....
Now Michael is trying his best to make good of a very shifty situation indeed...
Facts are online worthwhile steering clear of anything Mofi.com...
And seek out the first pressings which Michael is by far king of collecting. ..
How many times have you ever emailed Michael Fremer and asked which copy's are the best sounding vinyl?
No way better to come on to his channel to blame him for Mofi's crapy engineered vinyl pressings!
@@conanthemodeler858 That’s a hilarious response.
Yes, it is very interesting and I have some catching up to do on my listening (I moved from America to Europe and my system has been in storage/transit for the best part of a year).
I bought the KG mastered Marvin Gaye but haven't listened to it yet - will compare with the one-step. Same for the BG mastered Little Feat against the yellow labelled MFSL.
I also have the BG mastered Dire Straits releases from 2009/10 which are quite something and the MFSL Love Over Gold which uses DSD 256 to DXD and the plangent process... interesting.
Lastly, I have the BG/CB mastered version of David Crosby and the new MFSL to compare.
Interesting times; I'm quite curious to see what differences I find.
Thank you for the video!
Been listening to a recording of Tony Bennett on Philips Label, Album title " Listen Easy" arranged & conducted by Don Costa, not a live Lp but has in top left hand corner of Lp " Fairmont Hotel , San Francisco , sounds superb, will have to find an original US pressing of the one you Reviewed
Innaresting, The In Groove says that the Mofi Dire Straits are the very best sounding. On his recommendation I bought them all.
Get Bernie’s from tape and report back. Or don’t
So did Fremer but forgot he reviewed them already and called them "sonically spectacular".
@@emilspec1227 he did?!
@@JimMorrisonslizard my replies to you are getting removed, search for his Analog Planet review
Well done I love your honesty
Michael, saying "at any rate" is a part of who you are. It's a shame that people have pointed it out to you so often that you now catch yourself saying it. Screw them all, and just be you.
Yeah, I would have never noticed if he didn't acknowledge it!
Would make a good drinking game for college kids, though. Every time you hear "at any rate", take a drink!
It’s like Michael Ludwig’s “in my opinion…”. It’s like a trademark of them.
Today I started with Kind of Blue VG Original pressing, then to Legacy reissue, now on Mofi 45. Next will be Analog Productions 45 UHQR. So far. The Mofi sounds very similar to the Original Pressing The bass sounds plucked as it should. It is missing some realism in the cymbals, just aa tiny bit. The standard reissue is dull. The bass is "blurred". I enjoy listening to the Mofi 45.
Hello , I really enjoy your vids.. noticed the shirt ..//in any rate//,, (lol) I'd like to know what are nice earphones to get ..(I'm currently shopping)//thnx K
It’s a Shure shirt from a few years ago
IIMHO one of the issues is that the reason for a reissue is to improve the sound of the original LP. If that was not the case, then the master tape should be played straight to the lathe with no EQ adjustments and then do the pressing. Many feel that improvements in EQ can be made and that is a preference that they can make as they are making the investment in this reissue business. This is a very tricky business and most of these issues will be with the monitor speakers one uses to determine what EQ changes they "want" to make. We may not own the same speakers and our hearing is not the same as the mastering engineer, so it is all a part of it. The other issues are adding effects, compression, or peak limiting is also dangerous games to play as they can clearly be overdone and not what everyone will like. The whole issue is just sad to me. This would be a good time for a real comparison of a DSD transfer vs. a master tape lacquer cut with nothing done between the process and see who can hear the difference, is there is one. I have the LP and the SACD/CD of K622 and I can't find anything to complain about with any of the formats that I bought from Stereophile right after it was available. It was a science project for me.
I’ll be interested to see the review of Thriller.
"Mo-Fi’s Miles reissues keep coming. Porgy and Bess another atmospheric Miles-Gil Evans collaboration dropped early 2020. While all of these Miles albums are musically significant and many are sonically excellent on both original pressings and on these reissues, the biggest sonic surprise was how much better the reissued quintet (Shorter, Hancock, Carter, Williams) recordings sound compared to the originals. Whatever happened in the original mastering has been vastly improved on Nefertiti, Miles in the Sky and Filles De Kilimanjaro. If you have originals and think, you’re covered, you’re not! Get these while you can." - Michael Fremer.
@trackingangle michael, did you compare the Bernie vs the original waiting for Columbus? What did you think if so?
Message received. We’re walking . . . 🤦♀️👍
Btw, you look mahvelous! 😉
So really we are talking about mastering choices of different pressings and what each of us prefer. I am glad now we can stop all this "analog" vs "digital" nonsense.
I very really buy audiophile albums, I just stick to the Original UK pressings. However I did buy the MoFi Imagine album many years ago bought it sucked so stopped buying mofi reissues, that is until the Simon & Garfunkel One Step came out. I just had to try it so got it shipped over from the US (I’m from the U.K.) but that sucks as well! Am I just unlucky?
New drinking game - a swig for every ' at any rate ' blurted by Mike. Big MFer fan. Thanks for covering these. Greg
Wow, 51 year old and dead! I'm 52 and way overweight, I think I just got my wake-up call!
Mike so what's the verdict MOFI Ya or Nay What happened to Analog Spark there's nothing on the site... Now Laura Nyro's LP is 60 bucks on discogs ... Well at least I got the second one...
Oh Jesus it's bad
I just sold that Little Feat MoFi album on Ebay. I don't know your channel, but find it interesting that now that the truth has come out about MoFi I find someone saying how bad they sound. (Gosh, now that I read through the comments I see other people saying the exact same thing,) I'm not a MoFi person and may have just sold the only 2 I owned. New reissues don't interest me at all, and "audiophile" reissues even less. I did buy a couple reissues randomly at Target because they were only $11 each, which I would do again in heartbeat at that price.
What happened to my post? Got deleted???
Hi Michael. It looks like the UK Imperial Bedroom pressings were cut by Noel Summerville!