Mobile Fidelity Hybrid Stereo (and Mono) SACDs

[hirez]

Just got these two stereo beauties today.
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How is the stereo spread on the Supertramp SACD? I have several SACD releases from Mobile Fidelity and very seldom play them, which is why I ask.

 

[The Rang]

Played Miles Davis Milestones and Ry Cooder’s Paradise and Lunch last night.

The Miles is a great album but man do those trumpets screech, had to turn it down.
The Cooder is excellent all the way around, like the music better than the other Ry MoFi’s

 

[marpow]

I have listened to a lot of Dylan today from MOFI, they all sound great whether it be the mono or stereo versions. I only wanted to say this because he is such a prolific song writer, funny, deep, witty. We talk so much about surround, which none of this is , Dylan's lyrics and easy picking guitar are very enjoyable to me.

 

[Clint Eastwood]

I have listened to a lot of Dylan today from MOFI, they all sound great whether it be the mono or stereo versions. I only wanted to say this because he is such a prolific song writer, funny, deep, witty. We talk so much about surround, which none of this is , Dylan's lyrics and easy picking guitar are very enjoyable to me.

His talent is his song writing...and prolific is the right description...he gave Hendrix All Along The Watchtower...and that's in my top 5 all time...and his songs...blowin' in the wind and the times they are a changin left an impression on me that lasts today...and it wasn't the protest aspect that many attached to the songs...just the simple flow of the music...

 

[4-earredwonder]

Finally received notification from Music Direct that MoFi's Stereo SACD remaster of Bread's Baby I'm A Want You has been shipped [limited to 2000 copies].

 

[bmoura]

Now shipping from Mobile Fidelity, their Stereo SACD of Mingus Ah Um by Charles Mingus.

https://www.musicdirect.com/optical-disc/Charles-Mingus-Mingus-Ah-Um-(Numbered-Hybrid-SACD)

 

[JonUrban]

Finally received notification from Music Direct that MoFi's Stereo SACD remaster of Bread's Baby I'm A Want You has been shipped [limited to 2000 copies].

Would it have killed them to include the 4.0?

 

[marpow]

These two stereo SACD's arrived recently and got around to listening to them both this morning, great music, history in jazz.

 

[4-earredwonder]

Would it have killed them to include the 4.0?

Jon, I think we have to come to grips with the sad reality that MoFi [and Analogue Productions] are VINYL BOUTIQUE REISSUE LABELS. The other day on another thread I lamented the fact that the vinyl 'surge' in recent years has MOST DEFINITELY put the kibosh on a more populist multichannel resurgence culminating in the cancelation of SONY Japan's multichannel release of Bridge Over Troubled Water to 'accomodate' MoFi's $100 special edition vinyl reissue [why else?]

I don't know what MoFi pays in licensing fees for Stereo SACD releases but to add the 4.0 mch layer, I'm sure the fee would be considerably more and since they're only releasing 2000 numbered copies @ $29.95 for worldwide distribution they'll easily recoup their initial investment.

And I'm certain that purchasers in other countries, even with Music Direct's infrequent sales will pay upwards of $40 per Stereo SACD [or more] with s/h and import tariffs, etc.

Makes one appreciate Dutton Vocalion EVEN MORE.

 

[bmoura]

Would it have killed them to include the 4.0?

Since Mobile Fidelity's in-house mastering studio is Stereo only, not Multichannel - yes it would have cost them more to add a Surround DSD layer to the release.
As they did with the Vox reissues in Surround SACD, it would need to be sent out to a different mastering facility and mastering engineer with added costs.

With this release limited to 2,000 copies, that makes the added cost for Surround more difficult to recoup.

 

[4-earredwonder]

I find Warner/Rhino one of the most perplexing, erratic companies in releasing surround product. After the failed DVD~A launch and the release of a few CD/DVD~A digibooks after that initial launch......Warner Japan a few years ago re~released 10 of those former/OOP DVD~A titles on hybrid mch SACD, a few eclectic Jazz titles on single layered SHM~SACD [probably pressed by Universal in Japan] and currently a few hybrid Classical Stereo SACDs from the EMI catalog which they now control. I realize that Warner USA and Japan are two distinct companies but they share the same catalog and why they don't start releasing [in Japan] their unreleased QUADs is a mystery.

Jon's question why the MoFi SACD of Bread's Baby I'm~A Want You didn't add the 4.0 unreleased QUAD was a sobering question but bmoura had explained a few years ago that MoFi's mastering facilities are strictly stereo and they would have to not only pay a heftier licensing fee for the QUAD layer but farm it out to another authoring company for that multichannel layer. And I'm sure by limiting production to only 2000 numbered discs, the deal was even sweeter.

Those unreleased WARNER/ATLANTIC/ELEKTRA QUADs are making NO money by rotting in the vaults and those masters won't last forever. And whether they even bothered to digitize those QUAD masters is anyone's guess. Since some of those titles are from A List Artists, I'm sure they'd sell exceptionally well.

Hopefully, we will get a Doobie's QUADIO boxset sometime this year but in the meantime ..... I wish Rhino/Warner would bite the bullet and form an alliance with Dutton Vocalion who will certainly do justice to those masters ....... but NOT at $30K per title.....the US licensing fees which Audio Fidelity had to pay to license a Warner QUAD/5.1 for hybrid mch SACD replication. We all know the repercussions of that fiasco.

 

[soundboy]

New MoFi SACD releases, well, "Coming Soon":

Grateful Dead - From The Mars Hotel

Grateful Dead - Blues For Allah

Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

 

[GOS]

New MoFi SACD releases, well, "Coming Soon":

Grateful Dead - From The Mars Hotel

Grateful Dead - Blues For Allah

Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

I'd be interested in Iron Butterfly for sure...

 

[Quad Linda]

New MoFi SACD releases, well, "Coming Soon":

Grateful Dead - From The Mars Hotel

Grateful Dead - Blues For Allah

Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

I'm in for all three.

 

[4-earredwonder]

New MoFi SACD releases, well, "Coming Soon":

Grateful Dead - From The Mars Hotel

Grateful Dead - Blues For Allah

Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

ALL great releases, IMO. The Dead's Blues For Allah has always been a favorite. I saw In~A~Gadda~Da~Vida performed LIVE in Kansas in the very early 70's.

 

[H.A.L.]

I have the Iron Butterfly from MoFi on CD, and it is a gem -- the SACD should sound fantastic! The GDs I have on HDCD and sound great, too.

Not sure I really need an upgrade here, but I am tempted by the Iron Butterfly!

 

[soundboy]

I believe the release of the MoFi Dire Straits SACDs is imminent. A couple of weeks ago, importcds.com changed the release date to 10/18/2019. Then Elusive Disc emailed about the MoFi Dire Straits LPs and SACDs "Coming Soon". Apparently, even Music Direct is advertising the MoFi Dire Straits titles in its sales flyer.

 

[marpow]

Four new Dire Straits MOFI discs are now available from MOFI at $29.99 each. I have all the SHM SACD discs so I will pass on this opportunity.
Four Dire Straits

 

[Quad Linda]

Four new Dire Straits MOFI discs are now available from MOFI at $29.99 each. I have all the SHM SACD discs so I will pass on this opportunity.
Four Dire Straits

Ditto

 

[The Rang]

Many say those Dire Straits SHMs are great.
Are they still available?