Mobile Fidelity

Discussion in 'Music and Recordings' started by Cspirou, Oct 10, 2015.

  1. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    Are albums by Mobile Fidelity worth it?

    http://www.mofi.com

    Their site mentions that they get the original tape masters and use an advanced transfer system to get the best sound.
     
  2. wnmnkh

    wnmnkh Friend

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    Ones made with original GAIN (designed by Nelson Pass and Mike Moffat) ADC system are supposed to have a incredible sound due to its nature of true multibit recording.
    Then the company went bankrupt. The current Mobile Fidelity is a essentially different company with GAIN 2 system. (which is just a sigma-delta ADC)
     
  3. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    The MFSL GAIN Era:

    START: Dec 1994 UDCD 593 Muddy Waters Folk Singer
    END: Nov 1998 UDCD 734 Jehtro Tull songs From The Wood

    GAIN II (DSD) started with UDCD 735 Tom Petty Full Moon Fever. The GAIN II sounds a bit different. The early GAIN II had some raspy stuff going on (every evident on the Tom Petty). This was supposedly improved later (I am not sure when, probably after the company reformed) when better DSD encoders came along. Some of the pre-GAIN stuff was also very good sounding, but I felt GAIN had an advantage in resolution. Ultimately the recording quality also depended upon the master tapes and how the recording and mixing was done. Mastering is just the final step of the process.

    The MFSL mastering was more consistent from before and during GAIN. I would categorize their mastering during the GAIN golden era of MSFL as "not bright". After the company went bankrupt and reformed in the early 2000s, the mastering was not as consistent and some tended toward slightly bright.

    Other boutique mastering houses to consider are DCC and Audio Fidelity.
     
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2015
  4. velvetx

    velvetx Gear Master West/Vendor Spotlight Moderator

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    ask @drfindley he has some MFSL records. I listened to the Miles Davis Kind of Blue album and honestly on his setup I didn't ever want to leave his house.
     
  5. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    So it seems like there is a difference with GAIN and GAIN2 in regards to digital, but what about their vinyl?
     
  6. drfindley

    drfindley Secretly lives in the Analog Room - Friend

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    I'm not sure on the quality of everything MFSL has done, but I know they go back to the master tapes and do some great stuff with Miles Davis and Jeff Buckley. They tend to consistently have excellent pressings and so far great quality transfers. I guess it's not all perfect, but my impression is these are analog to analog, but I may be wrong.
     
  7. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

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    Avoid remasters overseen by Steve Hoffman himself. Super warm EQ dialed in sound.
     
  8. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Steve Hoffman has done one if my all time favorite remasters, the DCC gold disc of Highway 61 Revisited. It's exquisite, IMO. I also have his 45 RPM Rumours done with Kevin Gray and it's got a lot of detail.

    As for MFSL, their vinyl stuff has always been a mixed bag. I really appreciate their current Dylan reissues and the Miles Davis ones. I didn't get their KoB because I prefer that album in mono.

    Analogue Productions is another good audiophile label, as is Speakers Corners.
     
  9. Smitty

    Smitty Too good for bad vodka - Friend

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    I love the GAIN era albums on CD, that's some really impressive stuff through my Yggdrasil. Haven't been doing much listening recently, but I can say that I never considered any of them bad, especially when compared to post y2k remasters where my Dad's collection and mine overlap. I have two LPs from MoFi, both recent remasters/releases/whatever. Nothing to write home about, was much too busy listening to Arkiv Produktion stuff from the 60's.

    I have some DCC, was disappointed with Hoffman's treatment of School's Out, so I avoided things he mastered on his own afterwards. I have nothing but respect for Kevin Gray's work for that label, and will probably buy more when I actually have space.
     

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