Dire Straits Mofi 45 rpm vs 2020 8 plus box set

[Dolphy]

Discrepancy Records have them, with 2 to 3 weeks shipping. 

 

Although they are not cheap. 

[betty boop]

9 hours ago, turnthetable said:

 

that's a long way to a shop to get some rock and roll

Yes ! Thanks eagles eyed but might have a local option  all respect to Frankprowse visited there some years ago, lovely people. Good the legend lives on. But last thing arriving from Perth via auspost took me a month  no doubt did camel run across the nulabor hehe  

[stevoz]

On ‎13‎/‎09‎/‎2020 at 11:09 PM, Cardiiiii said:

Ive got the same skip too. I was hopeful a clean would fix it but seems unlikely.

 

That's seriously disgusting for something that costs so much.....who presses MOFI's?

[cheekyboy]

11 minutes ago, stevoz said:

 

.....who presses MOFI's?

MoFi albums are pressed by Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs, oddly.

 

Cheers,

 

Keith

Edited September 15, 2020 by cheekyboy

[stevoz]

6 minutes ago, cheekyboy said:

MoFi albums are pressed by Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs, oddly.

 

Cheers,

 

Keith

I suspected that......they need to lift their game then.

[cheekyboy]

1 minute ago, stevoz said:

I suspected that......they need to lift their game then.

Yeah, it is disappointing, but I have dealt with them for a lot of years and if there is a production fault, they will replace the faulty piece/album. Joe just needs to get it back to the seller for a replacement............PITA yes, but that's all he can do.

 

Cheers,

 

Keith

[myskylab]

3 hours ago, betty boop said:

Yes ! Thanks eagles eyed but might have a local option  all respect to Frankprowse visited there some years ago, lovely people. Good the legend lives on. But last thing arriving from Perth via auspost took me a month  no doubt did camel run across the nulabor hehe  

on there web site not cheap $585 https://www.selby.com.au/brands/mobile-fidelity/dire-straits-mobile-fidelity-vinyl-record-bundle-900705.html

[betty boop]

2 minutes ago, myskylab said:

on there web site not cheap $585 https://www.selby.com.au/brands/mobile-fidelity/dire-straits-mobile-fidelity-vinyl-record-bundle-900705.html

yes on their web site...just doesnt mean its in the store .... and yeah not cheap

 

ps they definitely dont have BIA, but then if its coming with factory built in skip not sure worth the bother

[scuzzii]

14 minutes ago, myskylab said:

on there web site not cheap $585 https://www.selby.com.au/brands/mobile-fidelity/dire-straits-mobile-fidelity-vinyl-record-bundle-900705.html

 

 

if it says ring to check availability - its not in stock.  If you can 'add to cart' it's in stock

[kelossus]

MOFI is pressed at RTI.

[cheekyboy]

39 minutes ago, kelossus said:

MOFI is pressed at RTI.

Yep, I think Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs developed the Ultra Disc format in conjunction with NEOTECH and RTI, so it would make sense that they would be pressed at RTI in California.

 

Cheers,

 

Keith

[Get off My lawn]

This  post inspired me to have a listen to the Dire Straits albums I have,  at over the weekend.

 

Unfortunately I don't have full sets of all of the versions to compare.

 

I have the Mercury Box set from a few years ago, 3 of the Mofis ( still waiting for the last 2 to arrive), 3 of the Aussie Maxi-cuts, and 2 Uk 1st pressings.

 

I didn't get enough time to listen to everything, nor were they blinded tests, volume matched , etc, so my thoughts are just based on my preferences for what I enjoyed most, through a fairly reasonable vinyl front end that I think is able to show up the differences between pressings/etc.

 

First foremost, they all sounded pretty good. These albums have been mastered and recorded well, so any version will probably sound fine until you start comparing them.

 

The least enjoyable for me was the box set. They were clean, quiet, well pressed, but compared to the other versions were a bit dull.

 

The Mofi's were beautifully pressed - quiet, black backgrounds, and a wide ,deep soundstage with a natural but well extended lower end. The overall presentation was a little laid back and relaxed. A downside was having to get up more often to change sides.

 

There's often something special about 1st pressings, and the 2 that I had ( Dire Straits and Love Over Gold) didn't disappoint. While they were noisier than the Mofis and lacked the soundstage and bass extension, there was something about the vocals and guitars that I felt the Mofi's didnt quite capture.  

 

The Aussie Maxicuts were outstanding. A more forward presentation than the Mofis, though a less developed soundstage, and less low end. 

 

If I could compare the two, the Mofis made me want to sit back with a glass of red , light the fire, and listen long into the night, while the Maxicuts made me feel like having a beer or 3 and really cranking up the volume. The Mofis did everything right, and ticked every audiophile box, but the Maxicuts were just a bit more fun. The 1st pressings were closer to the Maxicuts,  and if I could get hold of clean mint copies with no surface noise, that would be an interesting comparison.

 

Others might find this controversial, but for me, it's difficult to pick between the Mofis and the Maxicuts , as their presentation is quite different, but both very enjoyable.  I'd love to get a set of UK 1st pressings in perfect condition,as I suspect I may prefer them to the maxi cuts. 

 

If value for money is important, and I had to pick just 1 set, it would probably be the Maxicuts, as they can often be found on discogs, or here via our own @candyflip for much less than the Mofis or the UK 1st pressings. The Mofis sound very very good, and do give you those silent black backgrounds that can be very hard to find with secondhand records.

 

if I was buying new, I'd get the Mofis over the box set ( assuming the new set is similar to the last one), but if you're also looking secondhand, and can find copies of the Maxicuts or 1st pressings in close to perfect condition, then I think the choice is more difficult.

 

Cheers

 

[scuzzii]

Great summary @pine weasel. Thank you.

 

Keith has a couple of 1st pressings (uk and aust).

 

Im sure you're well catered for in this dept, but @Hydrology has a commercial record cleaning business that could restore some condition of your 1st pressings.

 

 

[metal beat]

Does anyone else find these 45rpm releases an overall gimmick to sell the same albums over and over and over and over?

 

If albums were originally released on 45 rpm with 2 songs per side, vinyl would never had made a comeback as spinning vinyl would be a complete PITA when you only have 10 minutes per side.. I certainly would not be still buying vinyl.

 

If Mofi were really interested in sound, they  should release each album as 12 inch singles - 4 to 5 x  12 inch vinyl per release - they could then run the mastering a lot hotter with better dynamics and sound.   Why go half way when you can go the whole way 

 

Classic records did this when they released Stairway to Heaven as a 12 inch freebie when you bought the large suitcase Led Zep collection.  Anyone who has heard it says the best Stairway sound ever.

Edited September 16, 2020 by metal beat

[rantan]

1 minute ago, metal beat said:

Does anyone else find these 45rpm releases an overall gimmick?

Definitely.

 

I thought it was just me but this seems to me to be a thought bubble from a marketing  team member.

[Luc]

37 minutes ago, metal beat said:

If albums were originally released on 45 rpm with 2 songs per side, vinyl would never had made a comeback as spinning vinyl would be a complete PITA when you only have 10 minutes per side

It's why I had to upgrade my Linn. I had one album that wouldn't play. Brand new 180gm and it sounded like sh*t, slow as buggery. Then I realised it was a 45 rpm.

 

Even then I didn't realise there were 4 vinyl in the gatefold...what the...

 

So I call it my (naughty word that you cannot say here and it doesn't start with F but it is four letters) C.O.A.T. whenever I play it(it's a good album and gets a play regularly) but there's no denying it is a coat(naughty word Of A Thing) as it's my only 45 and the upgrade to the Mober was always based upon being able to play that one album.

 

It remains my only 45rpm and is a testament to my lack of awareness and as you and  RT say also to marketing gimmickery.

 

*(actually I think the thing is 200gm) Crazy stuff.

[scuzzii]

interesting, and everyone's mileage may vary.

 

The DS Mofi's sound the best of the range of DS I have.  Including some Japanese releases..

 

Similarly - the Supertramp Crime of the Century Mofi release would be very hard to beat.  Perhaps its just my system..

[cheekyboy]

7 minutes ago, scuzzii said:

interesting, and everyone's mileage may vary.

 

The DS Mofi's sound the best of the range of DS I have.  Including some Japanese releases..

 

Similarly - the Supertramp Crime of the Century Mofi release would be very hard to beat.  Perhaps its just my system..

Everyone’s mileage may vary (a term I’ve only recently become aware of actually) but if these 45rpm Dire Straits albums are just a gimmick and spinning them is a complete PITA, it is indeed odd that they are selling faster then they can be pressed.

 

Cheers,

 

Keith

[metal beat]

Hey Guys

 

Not saying these albums don't sound good remastered @ 45rpm and that if you really want them you shouldn't spend your hard earned on them  - but they would sound better as 12 inch singles if sound quality was the true end game.     Where does one stop?   

 

I have original pressings of all the DS albums and I am happy with these as they always sounded excellent - I got a few of the Pallas Grundman reissues a few years back - different but not better.    Pine Weasel compared in his system and the mofi were not necessarily the best sounding in every respect.

 

   

   

[Cardiiiii]

If you’re just a fan then the SQ may not be worth the extra coin. But if like me, you love the band  then it definitely is. After all, you don’t have to buy each and every MoFi/AP release out there. 

[Martykt]

2 hours ago, rantan said:

Definitely.

 

I thought it was just me but this seems to me to be a thought bubble from a marketing  team member.

How do you figure that?

 

There is a clear sonic advantage to 45rpm over 33rpm so for a company like Mofi whose business model is based on releasing a higher quality pressing why wouldn't you do so as a 45rpm?

If anything what doesn't make sense is releasing an audiophile pressing as a 33rpm.

[Cardiiiii]

4 minutes ago, Martykt said:

How do you figure that?

 

There is a clear sonic advantage to 45rpm over 33rpm so for a company like Mofi whose business model is based on releasing a higher quality pressing why wouldn't you do so as a 45rpm?

If anything what doesn't make sense is releasing an audiophile pressing as a 33rpm.

Well if anything it would have been nice to release both 33 and 45. I do feel a bit lazy sometimes. 

[Martykt]

2 hours ago, metal beat said:

Does anyone else find these 45rpm releases an overall gimmick to sell the same albums over and over and over and over?

 

If albums were originally released on 45 rpm with 2 songs per side, vinyl would never had made a comeback as spinning vinyl would be a complete PITA when you only have 10 minutes per side.. I certainly would not be still buying vinyl.

If you find changing a record over such a hassle why even bother with vinyl?

 

Personally no I don't find 45rpm a gimmick.

I listen to vinyl as I'm after the absolute best sound quality that I can achieve so if given the choice all of my albums would be 45rpm.

 

[Martykt]

4 minutes ago, Cardiiiii said:

Well if anything it would have been nice to release both 33 and 45. I do feel a bit lazy sometimes. 

At least you're honest about it !!  
 

You do get companies like Analogue Productions that quite often release their albums in both 33 and 45 to cater to all.

I don't have an issue with this except when they accidentally send me the wrong 33rpm version.... 

[metal beat]

1 hour ago, Martykt said:

If you find changing a record over such a hassle why even bother with vinyl?

 

Personally no I don't find 45rpm a gimmick.

I listen to vinyl as I'm after the absolute best sound quality that I can achieve so if given the choice all of my albums would be 45rpm.

 

 

I find it ruins the flow of the album than the getting up and down  - I have over 6000 albums, so I do bother with vinyl and anyone knowing me will attest sound quality matters. 

But not endless copies of the same albums that already sound excellent, although like most of us I do have many album multiples, but generally only when I am not happy with the copy I have.

 

You would be happy double your real estate of vinyl just to hear it on 45rpm.  How many albums are you doubling?

 

 If you really want the best sound quality - release all albums as 12 inch singles @ 45rpm - that would be the best.

Edited September 16, 2020 by metal beat