Bob Dylan Nashville Skyline which version should I get?

I prefer the MFSL SACD over the Sony SACD. The Sony SACD sounds a bit bright to me

The HD Download is supposedly a flat transfer but it has some digital compression applied to it unfortunately.

 

Sony SACD bright ?
A lot easier to tame than if it's bass heavy( MFSL).

 

I don't know, the redbook layer of the Sony SACD (which I thought was a straight downconvert of the SACD mastering) is a bit harsh, and I think it has some limiting applied. For those reasons alone I'd go with the MFSL release.

EDIT: Just saw George's earlier post - I guess the redbook layer has the limiting but the SACD layer does not.

Actually, it just occurred to me, we could compare Steve's mastering of "Lay Lady Lay" and "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You" on Greatest Hits Vol. II to both the MFSL SACD and Sony's SACD, see which it's closest to.

 

And I have my answer. (Wonderful to be living in the internet age!) There really is a major difference between Steve's mastering and the MFSL mastering on "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You" and it's pretty startling - it's almost like a different mix even though the placement of the instruments are the same because it's that drastic. The vocals on the MFSL sound muffled and buried while on Steve's mastering, it's clear and upfront. And it's not just bass heavy, overall the MFSL is just boomy, to the point where things aren't so well-defined in the bass region, they diffuse out a bit into a whomping thump.

I don't have the Sony SACD - haven't heard it in years, but it wouldn't surprise me if Steve's mastering was more like that.

 

Sony SACD "

There we have it.

 

Just did a comparison of Tonight I'll be Staying Here with You, all tracks played through foobar2000's DSD decoding, which probably isn't the best. Also no level matching...

- Sony SACD DSD rip - extra "air" around the vocals, which I dislike, but I'm using headphones that accentuate such things.
- HDtracks 192/24 download - thumpier bass.
- Audio Fidelity GH2 DSD rip - very nice and balanced!! But not the whole album.

I don't have the MFSL.

 

Had the original UK vinyl thought it sounded very nice. USA sleeves always have ringwear I've found.

 

I've got a dozen Sony DSD SA-CDs, also SACD promo You Could Never Improve The Music.But Wait Till You Hear The Sound 7 trk comp.

 

I agree with this. I compared the Sony SACD and the MFSL again on my new Oppo 205 today, and I did prefer the Sony SACD. Thanks for the comparison/review. Glad to revisit this title and have a new favorite.

 

The Sony SACD beats the Mofi SACD...

 

I agree wholeheartedly. A local shop had the MoFi SACD playing recently. I wasn't impressed in the slightest. It might sound good if you have tinnitus but for those of us who haven't ruined our hearing by too many live shows over the years, the Sony SACD is leaps and bounds better.

 

I believe the Sony SACD has better vocal clarity and separation. As some of MFSL's SACDs have been want to do over the past decade, their Nashville Skyline mastering is mildly darker than earlier versions. I think most people would be satisfied with either SACD, albeit how your system is voiced will play a factor.

 

MoFi 's Love- Forever Changes SACD was excellent. 45RPM vinyl even better.