MFSL/Gold CDs-better, or just another iffy expense??

Posted by: bec143 on 22 May 2002

Maybe this is more appropriate for the Music Room, but lately I have been running accross a lot of MFSL (Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs)/Gold CDs for sale. I bought one recently (Tommy by the Who) that sounds absolutely great. I mean, really, really good.

I was ready to start buying only high quality CDs, but then I did a test. I compared a regular CD with a MFSL (albeit aluminum dic) version of the Allman brothers Live at Fillmore East. This cd has always annoyed me because I love it, but it sounds very crappy through my Naim gear. Guess what- absolutely no difference between the regular and MSFL versions, both still suck!

So, my preliminary verdic is that in "audiophile" cds, just as in regular cds, it's just a crap-shoot.

Bruce

Posted on: 23 May 2002 by JRHardee

Bruce--Have you heard the remix of the Allman Brothers' live sets called "The Fillmore Concerts"? The originals were mixed in the middle of the night after the concerts (probably under the influence of lots and lots...never mind), and the sound isn't that good, even on vinyl. The newer set goes a bit overboard, even splicing solos from one performance into another where they thought the net effect was better. That's a little creepy if you're familiar with the original set, but the sound is vastly improved. This is the one CD I have that sounds better than the original vinyl

Posted on: 23 May 2002 by Sigmund

I have several jazz and blues Mo/Fi's and, without exception, they're more life like, spacious and easier to listen to. I buy them with confidence. I haven't heard any of their rock reissues, not my thing. I suspect that if a cd is unbalanced, that is, favoring one instrument or badly balanced, they may not be able to correct that. That's more than I know.