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Ultradisc or MFSL cd's vinyl worth the price?

post #1 of 45
11/6/06 at 12:34pm
Thread Starter 
I did a brief search but info seems scattered and I was hoping to get a overall view of ppl's opinion if MFSL products are worth the price jump? Is there a sizable difference if you have decent equipment, or is it really just mostly hype?
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post #2 of 45
11/6/06 at 1:02pm
I have very recently found out about the MFSL CD's and I have collected about 30 of them so far. Not one of them have disappointed me yet regarding sound quality. Is it worth to pay more? Depends how much more
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post #3 of 45
11/6/06 at 1:07pm
MFSL???
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post #4 of 45
11/6/06 at 1:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by flecom
MFSL???
Wallet Beware!
I have the Bluesbreakers redbook CD (with Clapton) and it's a revelation.
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post #5 of 45
11/6/06 at 1:18pm
Thread Starter 
damn, was afraid you guys were gonna say it was worth it
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post #6 of 45
11/6/06 at 2:01pm
I have a UHQR of the Beatles' Sgt Peppers and it sounds fantastic. Jahn, you have this as well
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post #7 of 45
11/6/06 at 2:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gloco
I have a UHQR of the Beatles' Sgt Peppers and it sounds fantastic. Jahn, you have this as well
It indeed is another level above the crap redbook i had of it before
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post #8 of 45
11/6/06 at 2:39pm
I listened to Blue Oyster Cult's first two album package and was blown away. MFSL, when they do it right, can open up the sound and let instruments breathe. Buck Dharma's guitar on "Last Days of May" has never sounded so real.

That being said, many people prefer the regular release. For example, a Canadian pressing of The Wall is much preferred in audiophile circles to the the MFSL.
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post #9 of 45
11/6/06 at 4:55pm
It depends on the quality of the commercial release. I had the MFSL LP of Little Feat's Waiting for Columbus and it was great. I got the regular old CD of it and it sounded just as good. The same goes for Dark Side of the Moon. I had the limited edition box of that and the SACD rendered it superfluous.

In the LP era, better pressings made a difference. But with CDs, the only difference is the mastering. If a commercial CD uses the same or equal mastering, it'll sound just as good.

See ya
Steve
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post #10 of 45
11/6/06 at 5:26pm
I don't have much experience with MFSL beyond their U2 offerings. Having owned the original cd's of War, Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree for quite some time and then snagging the same three by MFSL off of Ebay, I immediately noticed a large jump in sound quality. This makes sense though for these cases as CD's were still pretty much in their infancy when they were originally released and I doubt the mastering was a major driving force for these pop/rock items. So did I find that dropping between 75-150/disc really worth it to me? Given U2 is my favourite band, yes, to me it was worth it. Though I don't think I would hunt down MFSL just because they made a disc. I would want to compare/contrast first and/or if it was a favourite band, then sure, I might splurge as I did with the U2 stuff.

I managed to track down the only LP remastering by MFSL of a U2 album and since my analogue rig is out of commission, I have not had the opportunity to A/B, but I will say that the MFSL CD of Unforgettable Fire sounds better than the original LP of the same album. It will be interesting to find out if the MFSL LP bests their CD counterpart! I managed to snag this LP from Ebay for the same cost as the CD, though this LP usually sells for 150-1500. Just sick.
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post #11 of 45
11/6/06 at 6:11pm
I can only justify the price for albums that I really like, but the MFSL discs I've compared to the standard ones have always been worth the price.
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post #12 of 45
11/6/06 at 7:18pm
I also own several MFSL cds, both their current and vintage (1999 and earlier before MFSL became MoFi) releases. I have never been disappointed by any of their reference cds as they all sounded better than any of the remastered or first pressing cds that I have. Some of MFSL's pre 1999 releases can be quite expensive commanding hundreds of dollars because they were produced in limited quantities and are highly sought after by cd collectors.
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post #13 of 45
11/6/06 at 7:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by flecom
MFSL???
Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs, their distributor went bankrupt in 1999 and they had shut their doors. In 2002 the label was resurrected again and they are now know as MoFi or Mobile Fidelity.
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post #14 of 45
11/6/06 at 7:24pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah I have noticed
I am a big U2 and Sting fan, both of which command top $
I also am venturing into vinyl slowly and was seriously contemplating the beatles collection...
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post #15 of 45
11/6/06 at 7:39pm
The only reason I buy SACD versions instead of the MFSL discs is because some of the titles are too pricey now a days. I have about 20 discs and am always on the lookout for good deals. The first disc I bought was over 10 years ago. REM, "Murmer". I paid $45Can for it to see why this disc was worth more, my friends said I was crazy. Within the first 3 seconds I was sold! The original CD I had sounded horrible like a bad cassette recording. The MFSL was crisp and clean with tremendous bass and imaging.

I am now waiting for my pre-ordered Yes, "Fragile" CD that MFSL just came out with. I have never been dissapointed. Not even when I paid $120 for a used T. Monk, "Live at the Monterey..."
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