Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs redbooks

polkatese · January 2004

Out of curiosity, I bought one of the MFSL classic Modern Jazz Quartet - Live in Lighthouse over at Audiogon classified, since I haven't had the pleasure of owning MFSL CD up till now. I have to say, I am impressed with the clarity, details, and dynamic of this cd. The master recording was made in 1967, originally issued by Atlantic Records.

I've been reading somewhere that MFSL is alive again, is it true?

Now that I've experienced MFSL, anybody thinking of unloading their MFSL (Jazz) collections around here? I am looking for Joe Sample - Rainbow Seeker album if you have it. Willing to pay top dollar$

One more thing, anybody can tell me the difference in sound quality between gold and aluminum CDs that they have? Are these supposed to be a tiered pricing level or just pure marketing?

Thanks

danger boy · January 2004

I've talked about MFSL on here several times before without much love from anyone. Untill you experience a MFSL recording.. you haven't lived..

MFSL is still around.. but only producing their "gold" MFSL discs for SACD. as far as i can tell they no longer produce the audiophile redbood CD's anymore.

I own several of them. Pink Floyds - The Wall currently sells for around $100 to $200+ on ebay these days..

Polkatese.. you are on the right track.. snatch up as many as you can find of the type of music you are interested in.. once they're gone.. they're gone. no more will ever be made from MFSL.

MFSL pressed theirs on gold because it's suppose to be better dynamics.. and last longer.. their CD's were pressed from a direct copy of the original master recordings.. whereby aluminumumnmumm discs are made from a copy, of a copy of a copy off the master.
Each time you make a dub off a copy.. the quality goes down. yes even a digital domain.

al

polkatese · January 2004

There you go, DB...I am on your side now!

I noticed some of those MFSLs command top dollars used. I'll continue hunting the classic. So, what's your collections consist of?

Dorokusai also has a growing collections of MFSL, let's see what he has.

dorokusai · January 2004

Yea, I have a few original "Ultradisc" copies laying around. MFSL is the standard by which all Redbook's should be measured, IMO. MFSL is back in business, and making more recent issues. DB is correct, the original pressings go for top dollar.

www.mofi.com

Mapleshade is also very nice, they are new, and master record from the beginning.

www.mapleshaderecords.com

danger boy · January 2004

lets see.. i've only got a few of them... but plan on buying more..

John Mellencamp - Scarecrow
John Lennon - Double Fantasy
John Lennon - Imagine
Supertramp - Breakfast in America

one or two more.. but i can't think of the names right now..

F1nut · January 2004

MFSL is back in business, they are part of the Music Direct company. They recently issued John Lennon's Imagine on gold redbook CD, but all of their other issues have been SACD's, no gold ones though. I'm not sure, but maybe they can't use gold for SACD's.

The early silver CD's were from the original masters, not copies of copies. MFSL then discovered that gold made for a better disc, it's smoother surface, better reflective quaility and long life resulted in better sound. However, not all the efforts of MFSL resulted in great sounding music, they had some real dogs! All of the new SACD's that I have from them are excellent to awesome!

The best place to find used and sometimes still sealed MFSL CD's is on eBay, although there are a few private sellers. If anyone wants that info, let me know.

My current MFSL collection consists of 60+ gold CD's, 3 silver CD's and 5 SACD's. I have a mint copy of The Wall that I never listen to, if someone is interested the price is $150.00. There may be others I'd be willing to part with (don't listen to them), let me know what you're looking for.

Al, feeling the love now?

HBombToo · January 2004

How do the MFSL's compare to hdcd? I have no clue nor ever read about MFSL soI would appreciate hearing some points of view.

I have questions regarding processing and would like to know a few details if there readily available. Thanks for the links and I know where to dig them up but some dialog here would be appreciated by me at the very least.

Furthermore I appreciate F1' comments on Gold and gave given it some thought.

Here goes: and this is from memory so a lot of details I'll leave out here.

Gold is very malable and has a very low melting point. I do know that platinum has an even lower melting point but is VERY shiney and smooth in solid form. Furthermore, as your cd player heats(and i have considered that it is encased in a polymer), I can imagine the very edges of the gold would want to smoothen out under the weight of gravity thereby making it very easy for the laser light to further scatter(the more light scatter(noise)will decrease the overall intensity or the reflected beam we are decoding) so get out your sharpie.

Perhaps a fine aluminum would be better for maintaing the (Pits) bicause its more rigid? makes for an interesting problem in manufacturing(burning)a disk. Does anyone know the vacuum left between the polymer and the metal after it has been burned then cooled to room temp? I have no idea what the expansion rates of gold and plastic so can't even make a guess.

Oh well thats enough.

HBomb

danger boy · January 2004

Originally posted by F1nut
Al, feeling the love now?

I do now.

polkatese · January 2004

Jesse,
What kind of music are you listening to? Have Joe Sample - Rainbow Seeker? I am looking mainly the Modern Jazz Quartet Live series. Here is the list:

UDCD 652 Basie, Count (Count Basie & His Orchestra) April in Paris

UDCD 596 Modern Jazz Quartet, The Blues at Carnegie Hall

UDCD 632 Modern Jazz Quartet, The At the Music Inn, Vol.2 w/ Sonny Rollins

UDCD 655 Peterson - Oscar Peterson Trio w/ Milt Jackson
Very Tall

UDCD 694 Sims, Zoot (Zoot Sims w/ The Kenny Drew Trio)
Zoot Sims in Copenhagen

UDCD 592 Torme, Mel & Rich, Buddy Together Again - For the First Time

MFCD 1-828 Miles Davis Someday My Prince Will Come

MFCD 2-844 Sarah Vaughan The Complete Live In Japan Set (2 CDs)

Thanks....

F1nut · January 2004

Hmmm...mostly rock and blues. I don't have any of those MFSL gold CD's, sorry. I do have Miles Davis "Kind Of Blue" on Columbia/Sony Mastersound gold CD with Super Bit Mapping. It was Columbia's answer to MFSL's efforts. I bought it new, listened to it one time and it's been in a sealed **** Bag ever since. It sounds great, but I just can't get into jazz. It's yours if you want it. If you can't find the others ones you're looking for on eBay/Audiogon, I'll give you some links for other places.

polkatese · January 2004

Thanks, Jesse! I have Miles' KOB on redbook. Thanks for the offer, and yes, I would be interested of other places.

I have yet to own MOFI SACD, have my eye on Patricia Barber reissue, that will be next to check out. What do you think of what you have?

dorokusai · January 2004

Yea, I think Polkatese had me confused with Jesse

...I figured F1 would chime in with his statement, of the MFSL collection he has collected.

F1nut · January 2004

All the Barber SACD's are great and the Amiee Mann SACD (not jazz) is out of this world.

The list for MFSL and other gold/audiophile CD's:

www.amusicdirect.com

www.mymusicfix.com

www.mfslcds.com

www.audiophile-records.com

www.elusivedisc.com

That sould keep you busy for awhile...lol.

BTW, I just noticed that KOB is out on SACD.

polkatese · February 2004

bought Barber's Modern Cool MFSL Hybrid SACD. Amazing remastered! It's so clean, deep, and amazing soundstage.

Why can't we have this kind of hirez recording on all of SACDs?

organ · February 2004

Polkatese,
You might want to check out Reference Recordings www.referencerecordings.com They also have jazz. I've bought two CD's from them and love the sound quality. Most of their CD's are HDCD. Haven't heard them on a non-HDCD player but I'm sure it will still sound very good.

Maurice

polkatese · February 2004

Thanks, Organ...will check them out

warviper · February 2004

I thought 24k gold has a rather high melting point. They use it on satellites because of the high temperature of direct sunlight in space.

F1nut · February 2004

High or low, I don't know. I do know this, any heat generated in your CD player is not going to be even close to melting any metal. The plastics used in the player (tray for example) will melt before metal and I know nobody has had that problem.

therockman · February 2004

Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs is a fine company, I have been buying their product for WELL over 20 years, but they have gone down hill recently. Yes they are in business now, but thier redbook CDs have been limited to two John Lennon titles, IMAGINE and PLASTIC ONO BAND. I own both and I am not happy with them, they are not the original master recordings but a cheap knockoff of a third generation tape. It was Yoko Ono's decision to lend MFSL a copy of a remixed tape that many people in the Beatle circle have not approved of.

As far as gold vs. aluminum, this topic has been coveed many times on the internet, with the consensus being that gold does provide a slightly better reflective surface than aluminum, but the whole thing about aluminum being a second generation (copy of a copy) is simply rediculus. The mastering is done from analog to digital in a mastering lab, and the digital copy is stored on a hard drive, or in the case of Jethro Tull music, Ian prefers to store all digital copies of his master tapes on DATs. Usually the digital infomation is stored for a few years untill someone wants to remaster it, but while the music is stored digitally it dosen't matter how many times it is reproduced, it is the same digital information. Thus, if it is the same mastering of a popular title, then a first pressing has no different sound than a 10th pressing. But often times the old digital masters were lost or destroyed, and the old CDs from the 80s are then prized collectables. I have many first pressings of popular titles that are fetching big bucks, my first pressing of Pink Floyd THE WALL is now going for well over $100 on ebay. (It is the Columbia target label CD, catalog number CK 36184 C2K 36183 DIDP 20204.) A lot of people think that it sounds better than the MFSL, because it is still being disputed if MFSL had the first generation tape or a second generation tape.

Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs redbooks

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