Are you sure MoFi uses SS? The whole mastering set up is built by Tim de Paravicini who I am sure you know is a tube legend.
And I'm very thankful for that For me I want "neutral"... not warm, not cold, just room temperature I'm never quite sure about what people mean by "warmth", but to me it always translates to "colored", less accurate sound... Maybe "warmth" means a thicker mid range? I'm not really sure what it is... but I'll say this, for example MFSL's Love Forever Changes, if it gets any "warmer", it will set your turntable on fire
Well, that has been my understanding. I'm trying to find more specific information. This is on MoFi's site about the Gain 2 system: GAIN 2™ Ultra Analog™ System or Vinyl GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ is a proprietary cutting system built and designed by legendary design genius Tim De Paravicini, with consultation from one of MFSL’s founding fathers – Stan Ricker, an audio engineer responsible for many of MFSL’s most heralded past releases. The GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system is comprised of a Studer™ tape machine with customized reproduction electronics* and handcrafted cutting amps that drive an Ortofon cutting head on a restored Neumann VMS-70 lathe. (*It is worth noting that independent studies have confirmed that the GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system can unveil sonic information all the way up to 122kHz!) First and foremost, we only utilize first generation original master recordings as source material for our releases. We then play back master tapes at half speed enabling the GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system to fully extract the master’s sonic information. Our lacquers are then plated in a specialized process that protects transients in the musical signal. (Due to this process, there may be occasional pops or ticks inherent in initial play back, but as the disc is played more, a high quality stylus will actually polish the grooves and improve the sound). We further ensure optimum sound quality by strictly limiting the number of pressings printed for each release. These limited editions, in addition to being collectors’ items, ensure that the quality of the last pressing matches the quality of the first. As you can imagine, all these efforts involve a tremendous amount of time, technology, cost and effort. The introduction of GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ maintains Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab’s position as the world’s leading audiophile record label, where a passion for music with extraordinary sound quality matters most." Studer tape machines, as I have read, were one of the first to use micro-processors. They certainly made valve machines. In any event, I'm trying to do more research. I betcha Mikey Fremer knows. I might shoot him a post.
The MoFi reissue of Roy Orbison's All-Time Greatest Hits is certainly cool compared to the S&P or DCC, done by Hoffman and Gray via tube electronics. Many on this list preferred the older reissues of the Orbison, in spite of MoFi, for the very first time, cutting up the tapes of the original albums to put together that greatest hits album. The original of the All-Time Greatest Hits as well as the DCC and S&P all used the one generation off master that had been created by the original label. The MoFi is the only one that used the master tapes from each original album to make the record. It's got tons of detail, things you've never heard before, but the music is with a cooler perspective.
I agree. Tubes are "warm," solid state is cold or analytical is dated at best and a lazy generalization at worst.
There's a third category - 'collectors'. Some of us keep sealed copies of certain artists / titles as a collection. Someday they'll either be sold - at which point you could say we're 'investors' but the intent isn't to make a profit - or opened and played as God intended.
There are many times I have become an accidental 'investor'. Those times when you have unintentionally kept a record sealed and by the time you run across it again it has appreciated 5X - 10X what you originally paid for it. While not my original intent, I can no longer open the record.
It must have sold more than 100, because I got copy 186 today. Still need to clean her up and give a spin later today. It's no where near the presentation of the Mofi one-steps. Packaging was a normal 2LP gatefold and signed by Lyn Stanley; for what that's worth.
Michael Fremer just posted a review of the Bill Evans one-step, giving it 11 on both music and sound.
Did every one get a set of black and white photos? I do not see any the box I received, #512. Where are they in the box?
My box has the the 2 black LP sleeves with the album cover pic, the 2 blank white inner sleeves, the 2 records of course and 2 pieces of foam.
I might actually bite on that as well. I'm not a huge Bill Evans fan. I'm wrestling with the Nightfly idea and my originals are good enough I think I'll end up passing. The problem with a record like Dreamboat Annie is how good the original Mushroom pressings can sound. I have multiple and I'm not sure a $100 45 rpm reissue can improve on that enough or at all. I bought Santana and it's clearly better than the original pressing so I guess $100 sure. That album wasn't done too well originally IMO. Pull out an original Nightfly or Dreamboat Annie though and then figure for yourself if a $100 ($100!) reissue is really necessary. Collector's value is the other consideration. Yes, these may sell for big bucks in the not so distant future. I don't blame anyone for buying these, just some random thoughts.
I have an amazing sounding original mushroom LP, but I'm still confident MFSL could make it sound much better, just listen to what they've been putting out recently Even today I played the latest Ry Cooder MFSL's and they are stunning. If they did Dreamboat, at 45rpm, with their current gear and Krieg Wunderlich, it would be a total blast for sure. The 45rpm cut alone is guarantee for much better transient response and virtually eliminates all distortion.
Ok, if we're going through everyone's cd/record collection, I would like to see Chris Squire's Fish out of Water and Bill Bruford's One of a Kind.
