Just got BIABH mono MFSL sacd. Opened it up and inside is a Ry Cooder sacd Paradise and Lunch. Not the fault of the UK based dealer 0f high end audio as the sacd was sealed and numbered. Anyone else had this sort of thing happen with the incredibly expensive MFSL. Also got the mono sacd of Bob Dylan and that is fine.
Got a sealed Miles Davis MFSL SACD a while ago and when I unwrapped it I found Bill Withers' Greatest Hits inside. Returned it, of course. The Bringing It All Back Home mono MFSL SACD is on order for me; I hope it turns out OK...
Thanks for sharing I feel less persecuted now! As I posted on the other MFSL thread I have bought over a 1000 records/cds/tapes over the years and the only problem I had was a faulty EMI musicassette which they replaced back in 1973.
I just got the Bringing It All Back Home mono SACD and noticed it does not use the Original Master Recording banner. Has the story behind that been told? Was this a remix for the mono box and they are using that? I couldn't find any info on the ISIS site.
That hasn't happened to me (with a sealed copy), but I inevitably mix up the discs and I think this exact problem happened with Bill Withers and Miles in the Sky. Really hope MFSL releases Water Babies SACD.
Sorry, I don't have any info on that. However, if you have the mono box, I'd love to hear how you feel the new MoFi compares.
Initial impressions listening to segments of BIABH in the mono box and mono SACD redbook layer on the office system is there is not a huge difference between the two. The differences seem to be where where the mono CD is a tad more cluttered, the SACD has a tiny bit more air and openness, especially around the drums, the kick is also more present on the SACD, I would even say the vocal sibilance on the SACD has more defined edges/smaller footprint to it making it less masking; but a relatively small difference in that regard frankly. A larger difference than that I suppose, although still not huge, is the SACD had slightly better defined bass by comparison; the lower bass notes have some more defined edge to them, the higher bass notes attack more. I think that is what stands out for me so for, the SACD has a bit more attack/bite and air/definition, but the mono CD isn't trailing terribly far behind. This and the first album are the only real must mono versions for me, all the others I often go stereo. I say that to say a) this is the only mofi mono I have tried and b) I am well versed in that format for this album. I am not getting any sense one way or the other about the possible tape source for this. I am far from an expert on that front anyway, but I would say I have noticed dub copies before and that notion is not jumping out at me here so far anyway. I will play the SACD layer of this over the weekend and see if anything else stands out. PS I don't remember if I have noticed this before, although I don't know why not, but is there any story behind the what I guess is a tape drag maybe at :12 seconds in on "It's Alright Ma". It is on both of these equally, although I doubt that tells us anything.
That was my impression pretty much when comparing the Redbook layers and as I mentioned in the thread for the mono SACDs. The SACD layer however I found to be more of an improvement over the Redbook of the Mono box. If you like the mono of the first session you'll really enjoy the mono SACD. That one really impresses me.
So the SACD layer's an improvement, but if you don't have SACD capability, then the old mono box and the redbook layer on the SACD's are pretty much on par with each other?
If you want this in the very best digital mono sound I personally think the Redbook layer on the Mobile Fidelity is that. It's not a huge improvement over the box set version, but it is an improvement on my system.
I finished up last night letting 4-5 songs play out on the mono BIABH mofi SACD redbook layer still on the office system, no a/bing, and the differences build up a little more apparently when doing that. I think another thing is the other Dylan stereo mofi SACDs I have bought were up against the Sony SACDs, and even in redbook the differences were larger and more immediate; in this mono SACD vs. mono box situation it was always a matter of liking the SACD redbook more, pretty much right away even, but it was just the differences weren’t as large, or I didn’t end up disliking the mono box cd more so afterwards like I did with the Sony SACD. A weird notion I have is the mofi mono feels more vinyl like; not in that it is warmer or more vinyl sounding in a traditional vinyl-like way, but that it crackles a little more, has a fun dynamic edge to it, feels more alive, more important; feels like you are playing a record. Like I said, weird notion I know, and this is from someone who hasn’t had a vinyl setup since College which believe me was a long time ago. So I agree with @Lonson this is the best digital (needledrop aside these are the only two right?). I would say if you were not buying the Dylan mofi SACDs already, or perhaps this album in mono is not your cup of tea, you might be fine sticking with the mono box; the differences are not glaring, but they are adding up so far and for me are important ones. A less weird notion I have is that this mono SACD fits in so very well with the other Dylan mofi SACDs, so if you love this album in mono and have and like a number of mofi Dylan SACDs already… well I think you know where I am going with this. I look forward to the SACD layer next.
Bugged out of the office early today so got to play the SACD layer of BIABH mono on the big rig. Very nice, it feels a little thinner than I remember the mono CD on the big rig but that thinness gets replaced with a lot of visibility into things like little reverb trails, guitar effects, smaller electric or upright piano parts, you see parts connecting better, the room comes through more at times. The bass line on Baby Blue sounded magical. The mono CD would be just a bit more stuffed up in the middle by comparison so you have to listen through that thicker middle. I am half suspecting these differences may be tape source related rather than mastering, it sure seems like a very nice tape if it isn't in fact the same one used for the mono CD box (only basing that on the mono box saying it was the original tape if I am reading it right and mofi not using the OMR banner for this), but those kinds of things are above my pay grade.
Perhaps a touch off-topic, but the Blonde on Blonde MFSL thread is closed... I am a late-comer to the hi-res digital world, and a major fan of Dylan's work, so I'd like to pick up as many of the MFSL titles as I can. Decent timing for the most part, as most of these titles have been released recently or will be shortly and are therefore still available. However... The MFSL (MoFi now, I guess) website lists Blood on the Tracks and Blonde on Blonde "out of stock." Should the fact that it says "out of stock" rather than "sold out," or, "no longer available," give me hope that another batch is or will be pressed? They are listed as limited numbered releases, so that doesn't bode well. I inquired with MoFi via email but haven't yet heard back.
I wouldn't wait. I checked a few sites and they are sold out, but there are a few here: Amazon.com: Buying Choices: Blonde on Blonde (just don't buy from amazon.com direct, they don't have it in stock) It's an AWESOME mastering. I highly suggest it.
The Blonde on Blonde MFSL is worth tracking down. Everyone keeps hoping MFSL will tackle Blonde on Blonde's superior mono mix for SACD but it hasn't been announced.
Yeah, the Blonde on Blonde and Blood on the Tracks MFSL SACDs are some of their best work. Don't hesitate and pay through the nose later.
You can find it here: Bob Dylan - Blonde On Blonde at a reasonable price. I have all of the stereo SACDs and am collecting the mono as well -- definitely get them while you can!
I had the exact same problem with the copy of BIABH mono which I purchased from Music Direct. I contacted their customer service and they sent me another copy of BIABH mono and told me to keep the Ry Cooder disc. I had them open the replacement copy before shipping to confirm that it was indeed BIABH inside.
My Times They Are A - Changin' (Mono) arrived yesterday. Looking forward to giving it a spin tomorrow or over the weekend. All the Mono's, CD & LP have sounded great so far.
Thanks--I snagged a new Blonde from a third party seller on Amazon for $36 shipped. Had been kicking myself since yesterday morning when I saw I had just missed one by an hour in the classifieds here for $25 that had been posted since Sunday! It was added to a listing that I had already read, so I had not re-opened the thread until it was too late. Buying this one today has eased the agony considerably. I can make up the $11 this weekend by drinking well whiskey rather than rye. Now to the hunt for Blood on the Tracks!
