Van Halen Mobile Fidelity SACDs now available for pre-orders

[4-earredwonder]

Just speculating, but Van Halen, Inc isn't exactly known as the easiest or most expeditious enterprise, so that could be part of the problem. Or perhaps MFSL is having cash flow problems?

MoFi is owned by Music Direct who does sell high end audiophile hardware and both MoFi and AP have raised their list price of ALL new Stereo SACDs to $35!

Since a LOT of new Stand alone BD~As with ATMOS remixes can be had for around the $20 mark ... perhaps the higher prices for stereo SACDs is a bit off putting. Just my opinion.

 

[marcb]

MoFi is owned by Music Direct who does sell high end audiophile hardware and both MoFi and AP have raised their list price of ALL new Stereo SACDs to $35!

Since a LOT of new Stand alone BD~As with ATMOS remixes can be had for around the $20 mark ... perhaps the higher prices for stereo SACDs is a bit off putting. Just my opinion.

What does the price of audiophile SACDs and standalone BD-A's have to do with the delay with the Van Halen SACDs and vinyl?

 

[4-earredwonder]

What does the price of standalone BD-A's have to do with the delay with the Van Halen SACDs and vinyl?

Absolutely nothing except I was addressing your concern that MoFi was experiencing a cash flow problem ..... which I asserted: 'probably NOT' since they have the backing of owner Music Direct!

 

[marcb]

Absolutely nothing except I was addressing your concern that MoFi was experiencing a cash flow problem ..... which I asserted: 'probably NOT' since they have the backing of owner Music Direct!

MoFi/Music Direct has likely been seriously affected by the revelations and legal issues/settlement from their use of DXD rather than analog masters - and that could certainly be a source of cash flow problems. Just look at the sales of their one-step vinyl. None are selling out now and some are going for discount prices of 50% or more off at retailers.

Their own vinyl and SACD releases are easily the highest margin software products they sell. They've invested a lot in those lines and their bottom line has to be taking a beating right now.

So...probably not? More like probably. Now whether that is delaying the VH releases, I don't know. But it certainly could depending upon the licensing terms.

 

[4-earredwonder]

MoFi/Music Direct has likely been seriously affected by the revelations and legal issues/settlement from their use of DXD rather than analog masters - and that would be the source of their cash flow problems. Just look at the sales of their one-step vinyl. None are selling out now and some are going for discount prices of 50% or more off at retailers.

And some of their Stereo SACDs are/were likewise struck from digital masters...and no one has seemed to complain. Not surprising since a LOT of majors do not want to part with the absolute master tapes for obvious reasons!

At least Analogue Productions had the decency to make note in their stereo SACD reissues the origin of the masters ....and some were in fact derived from original DDD 16 bit PCM masters....and they sound exceptional.

Example:

https://store.acousticsounds.com/d/106913/Cowboy_Junkies-The_Trinity_Session-Hybrid_Stereo_SACD

 

[Malhomme]

I have a hard time, on MOFI's site, understanding if a SACD is multichannel or stereo.

 

[barturtle]

I have a hard time, on MOFI's site, understanding if a SACD is multichannel or stereo.

I'm not aware of Mofi doing any multichannel sacd.

 

[Malhomme]

This is unfortunate. It may not have a lot of sense regarding Van Halen, but regarding the annonced Joni Mitchell SACDs, it would be a painfully missed opportunity.

 

[JediJoker]

I have a hard time, on MOFI's site, understanding if a SACD is multichannel or stereo.

I'm not aware of Mofi doing any multichannel sacd.

Mobile Fidelity has not released any multichannel SACDs in years, nor is it likely that they will in the future. Their mastering chain is very specific for mono and stereo. I have to assume that the few quad/5.1 SACDs they put out in the past were very difficult to do, and given the relatively small market for multichannel, they see little reason to go to that trouble going forward.

Contrast this with Analogue Productions, who may include existing multichannel mixes on their SACD releases, but always specify that they have not been handled by the mastering engineer credited for the stereo and/or mono. They are simply included as a "bonus." See Time Out:

Please note: For the Multichannel program of this SACD, we used the same hi-res file as was used for the previous Sony SACD release of this title. The Multichannel program was not remixed or remastered. Please understand that our focus and interest is on making the best sounding two-channel layer possible. We have remastered the stereo program from the original analog tapes. Because the disc allows space to include a multichannel program and because one already existed, we decided to include it as a bonus.

Even Audio Fidelity, who embraced and marketed multichannel, often gave the quad and 5.1 mixes short shrift relative to the mono and stereo.

 

[stoopid]

And some of their Stereo SACDs are/were likewise struck from digital masters...and no one has seemed to complain. Not surprising since a LOT of majors do not want to part with the absolute master tapes for obvious reasons!

At least Analogue Productions had the decency to make note in their stereo SACD reissues the origin of the masters ....and some were in fact derived from original DDD 16 bit PCM masters....and they sound exceptional.

Example:

https://store.acousticsounds.com/d/106913/Cowboy_Junkies-The_Trinity_Session-Hybrid_Stereo_SACD

Love me some cowboy junkies. But the CD is more than adequate, at less than half the price. If anyone is wondering why SACD and some other audiophile formats struggle and/or end up going away sooner than later, refer back to this very obvious reason. Cost.

 

[Tres Discrete]

This is unfortunate. It may not have a lot of sense regarding Van Halen, but regarding the annonced Joni Mitchell SACDs, it would be a painfully missed opportunity.

I’m thinking our best chance for Joni in surround is Rhino…
Begging @ForagingRhino

 

[Tribby2001]

Love me some cowboy junkies. But the CD is more than adequate, at less than half the price. If anyone is wondering why SACD and some other audiophile formats struggle and/or end up going away sooner than later, refer back to this very obvious reason. Cost.

How do you explain the not so audiophile vinyl sales? "Audiophile" vinyl's success can only be attributed to vinyl's huge profit margin and consumer ignorance of it's sonic inferiority. The later of which is a scientific fact.

 

[Thonolan]

"Audiophile" vinyl's success can only be attributed to vinyl's huge profit margin and consumer ignorance of it's sonic inferiority. The later of which is a scientific fact.

Things are not so simple. While it's inferior *in theory*, the thing is, many vinyl pressings are better mastered than their digital counterparts. And mastering often makes a much bigger difference than the medium in which the music is played.

I find it frustrating, since vinyl is so inconvenient in many ways, but that's how it is. So that's a strong reason why some of us, sometimes, choose vinyl.

 

[4-earredwonder]

Love me some cowboy junkies. But the CD is more than adequate, at less than half the price. If anyone is wondering why SACD and some other audiophile formats struggle and/or end up going away sooner than later, refer back to this very obvious reason. Cost

MoFi did release this Cowboy Junkie SACD in multichannel but it's ambience only in the rears!

https://www.hraudio.net/showmusic.php?title=4222
And whether you believe it or not, the Analogue Production's SACD of The Trinity Sessions remastered from a DDD 16b PCM master on my system does sound better than the already excellent RBCD version.

 

[Perp]

Me thinks Ricky is correct on the release date of the first Van Halen album of being December 2023. It’s the only Van Halen album that’s been announced for Preorder on the MFSL Website. Now, it’ll be interesting to see if it’s for both SACD and Vinyl. Or, only for the SACD release. I’ll be getting both formats.

 

[marcb]

And some of their Stereo SACDs are/were likewise struck from digital masters...and no one has seemed to complain. Not surprising since a LOT of majors do not want to part with the absolute master tapes for obvious reasons!

At least Analogue Productions had the decency to make note in their stereo SACD reissues the origin of the masters ....and some were in fact derived from original DDD 16 bit PCM masters....and they sound exceptional.

Example:

https://store.acousticsounds.com/d/106913/Cowboy_Junkies-The_Trinity_Session-Hybrid_Stereo_SACD

I don't know what's more amusing...that you are refuting in non-sequiturs or that people keep giving you likes for you refuting in non-sequiturs.

The point isn't that SACDs were struck from digital masters or that Analogue Productions, well...anything Analogue Productions. The point was the Van Halen SACDs may be delayed because VH, Inc is notioriously challenging and perhaps because MFSL (or Music Direct) may be having cash flow problems due to the legal/PR issues relating to the use of DXD rather than original analog masters. Or maybe they're just trying to regroup and re-strategize in the wake of these issues. And possibly they are being delayed as to not compete against the recent Van Hagar era re-masters (yes, I understand that those are a different era, but there is some overlap in that Venn diagram, so one party - or maybe both- prefer not to cannablize).

Believe me, I'm no apologist for MFSL. But the underlying point is that although people here (and other places on the inter web) default to making reissue labels out to the bogeyman for delays, the real culprit often lies elsewhere. But the reissue label can't say so for legal or business relationship reasons.

 

[Tribby2001]

Things are not so simple. While it's inferior *in theory*, the thing is, many vinyl pressings are better mastered than their digital counterparts. And mastering often makes a much bigger difference than the medium in which the music is played.

I find it frustrating, since vinyl is so inconvenient in many ways, but that's how it is. So that's a strong reason why some of us, sometimes, choose vinyl.

...Apples and Oranges.

If you had the choice of the same mastering on Vinyl and SACD which would you choose?
Most would choose vinyl because it's "warmer" with no "glare" or "harshness" ~
Yet the SACD would be closest to the master in all aspects.

 

[kap'n krunch]

Me thinks Ricky is correct on the release date of the first Van Halen album of being December 2023. It’s the only Van Halen album that’s been announced for Preorder on the MFSL Website. Now, it’ll be interesting to see if it’s for both SACD and Vinyl. Or, only for the SACD release. I’ll be getting both formats.

you are better off getting any Japanese 1st pressings , and probably cheaper..tapes were fresh and the vinyl quality is better than USA ones which could be a crap shoot, some are good , others are quite bad...that's just me...

 

[Thonolan]

...Apples and Oranges.

If you had the choice of the same mastering on Vinyl and SACD which would you choose?
Most would choose vinyl because it's "warmer" with no "glare" or "harshness" ~
Yet the SACD would be closest to the master in all aspects.

SACD, that's for sure.

 

[LB-V]

non-sequiturs

Good deal...I will utilize this phrase in the future! It is a good one.

: a statement (such as a response) that does not follow logically from or is not clearly related to anything previously said.

I am going to test run it with my wife this weekend.