Billy Joel - The Stranger Mobile Fidelity - Anyone have it?

I have a few RL mastered "The Stranger" LP's and all are a little noisy. But once you past a little background noise they sound real good. I am interested in the comparison between the RL and MOFI SACD. I to have the Sony SACD but always listen to it in 5.1. mode.

Pat

 

I'll have to listen to the two "RL" vinyl copies of 'The Stranger' I was referencing, so I can speak to it with a little bit more depth.

 

Does anybody know when the LP will be released? I'm growing impatient

 

It will be released when MOFI posts a photo of it on their Facebook page. In other words, it will be released when they decide to release it, as they do with all their products. I love MOFI, but their release "schedule" is atrocious.

 

Well, I did just this today. I did extensive comparisons between my "RL Masterdisk" vinyl, original Sony single-layer SACD, & the new MFSL SACD.
There are lots of comments about the MFSL being bass-heavy, but I don't hear that as much as I do an extremely dull high end compared to the old Sony SACD
and my LP copy. My LP & Sony SACD are tonally very similar, but in comparison, the MFSL SACD sounds EXTREMELY veiled, with no "air" or "bloom".

It seems to me at times that many forum members here automatically prefer a mastering that has less treble. Believe me, I am certainly no fan of overly bright masterings,
but I can also not tolerate a mastering that has had all of the life sucked out of it, and to my ears, on my system, this is what the MFSL SACD of "The Stranger" sounds like to me.
The original LP & the Sony SACD sound very similar tonally, & they sound very good. The MFSL SACD sounds *completely* different. That speaks volumes to me, & tells me that,
while the MFSL may be a very warm engaging listen (which it actually is), it is not what this album is actually "supposed" to sound like.

I did the same testing today with the MFSL SACD of "52nd Street" (vs. the original Sony SACD & an original vinyl pressing mastered by Ted Jensen) and came to the exact same conclusions.

I have no agenda against MFSL. I absolutely LOVE the hybrid SACD's by The Band, The Doobie Brothers, & a few others. But I don't find the MFSL SACD's to have a very consistent mastering style.
They are very hit & miss with me, unfortunately.

 

Still waiting for the Mo-Fi SACD release of Innocent Man. This title it seems is taking forever.

The Sony SACD sounds awful. I like the Sony SACD's of The Stranger and 52nd Street but something went terribly wrong with Innocent Man, there's some serious midrange suckout going on. A $2 used vinyl copy sounds much better.

 

Been listening to this SACD a lot lately and statements about it sounding like vinyl are exactly what I was thinking when I first gave it a spin. I took it over to a fried of mines house who has a very high end system and has the album on vinyl and even he said the same thing about it sounding like vinyl. It was fun to listen to this SACD and then his vinyl copy. That was proof positive to me that this SACD is the closest I have ever heard a digital release come to an LP. Love it! I also bought the Turnstiles SACD as well and while I love that SACD as well, it didn't hit me with the force the Stranger SACD did on first listen. Good job Mofi!!

 

I tend to agree. The MFSL Stranger sounds muffled and lacking in punch to me. The snare drums sound quite anemic for my tastes. On the other hand, I didn't particularly like the Ted Jensen remaster either, which seemed to be mastered too much in the opposite direction i.e. a bit too aggressively.

The other MFSL SACDs that I've heard (Dylan, Dire Straits) I've really liked.

 

Thanks, Scott!

At this point, is the MOFI or 35DP your preferred digital version?

Hey Rick,

Have you had a chance to compare the Mofi Stranger to the 35DP CD?

 

Hi. Just so that there is no confusion: There are at least two different early digital mastering of The Stranger with "35DP" in the matrix, BOTH for Japan-for-Japan AND Japan-for-U.S. CD's.

The earlier of the two mastering can be found on the earlier numbers after "35DP-2" (including the early "crude font" matrix). The later mastering can be found on "35DP-2 101A1 +++++" or a slight variation of the last numbers/letters. The "+++++" sign is a sure give away in the matrix for the second digital mastering for this CD.

What Scott J is referring to, when doing the A/B comparisons, is the SECOND digital mastering (i.e., "+++++" in the matrix). The first digital mastering is good but the second digital mastering is definitely better. The second digital mastering sounds almost identical to the original vinyl mastering by Robert Ludwig, just as the Sony SACD.

The biggest problem with the MoFi SACD is that the voice of Billy Joel and his piano sound "weird" (to put it politely). Billy Joel's voice sounds like he is more than 40 years old on the MoFi and the piano has noticeable distortion. It is as if the tape that MoFi was using had "stretched out" or the tape deck used during MoFi's mastering was running slower than the tape deck used to record. If you are very familiar with Billy Joel's recordings (from his early years to his post '90 "fat & comfi days" when his voice got "lower"), you immediately should be able to recognize what I am talking about here when you listen to the MoFi SACD, even without doing any comparisons with the Sony SACD, second 35DP-2 mastering or an original vinyl mastered by Robert Ludwig.

 

Mine is a Japan for USA with 35DP-2 81A3 in the matrix (no +++++.) So I got the earlier one, right?

It does explain why I wasn't as impressed with it as others seem to be with the one with the +++++ in the matrix.

 

Hi. Here is what I know about the early Japan CD pressings of this album (whether Japan-for-Japan or Japan-for-US):

1st digital mastering: This one has 9 tracks with the total time of 42:36 (+ or - a second or two, depending on your CD player).
"35DP-2-1 1A1" in crude font (I am assuming there is one with a "gold tint" disc) Japan-for-Japan;
"35DP-2-2 1A7" in crude font (I have this one) Japan-for-U.S. with a tiny "MADE IN JAPAN" sticker on the right side of the label side of the disc right below the compact disc logo (but no country of manufacturer printed at the bottom edge of the disc);
"35DP-2 81A3" or "...81A4" in the later "neat font" style matrix Japan-for-U.S. with "MADE IN JAPAN" printed at the bottom edge of the disc.


2nd digital mastering: This one has 9 tracks with the total time of 42:47 (+ or - a second or two, depending on your CD player).
"35DP-2 101A1 +++++" in the later "neat font" style matrix Japan-for-U.S. OR Japan-for-Japan (both have identical matrix).


3rd digital mastering (this one is by Denon Japan, NOT CBS/Sony Japan): This one has 10 tracks (although the inserts and the disc still state only 9 tracks) with the total time of 42:32 (+ or - a second or two, depending on your CD player). On this mastering, "The Stranger (Reprise)" at the end of the album is a separate track by itself, instead of a run-on from the 9th track.
"CK-34987" and "1B2 75" in the typical Denon Japan mid-80's "dot matrix" font. This was a later Japan-for-U.S. disc.


The disc that sounds just like the Robert Ludwig vinyl (and the Sony SACD) is "2nd digital mastering" above! I hope this helps.

 

It does, especially if you have a #2 for sale.

 

I do have two copies of Japan-for-U.S. with the "+++++" in the matrix, and I am willing to part with one. But the Sony SACD still can be found. I just recently saw one sell on eBay for around $50.

My "+++++" will obviously be much cheaper but if you were curious about the MoFi SACD, I would think that you would want the Sony SACD, not a regular CD?

 

No, I am not a SACD guy, strictly redbook actually.

 

Sent you a PM.

 

Correct as documented in this thread: http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/billy-joels-the-stranger-different-cd-masterings.146808/

Here are is EAC chart info from that thread for this original CD with a plethora of masterings:

The 2nd mastering remains my favorite redbook version. My favorite digital is the early Sony SACD. I do have the MFSL for a long time but simply had the urge yet to listen. I was huge Billy Joel fan years back but played his stuff over and over to the point I grew tired of it.

I've had the 3rd mastering since I'm child. In all my years on this forum I've never seen another in the classifieds or used bins' of my local shops. My guess is it's the rarest CD of The Stranger, although sonically speaking probably not worth hunting down.

 

As I said in this thread, I was disappointed by the MFSL compared with the 35DP2. And I stopped buying the other BJ MFSL's.
I'd like to know if I would like the other titles on MFSL.

 

Hi. As for me, I gave The Stranger and 52nd Street a try and I was equally disappointed with both. Unless someone tells me that somehow the other BJ MFSL's are different, I will not waste any money on the other titles.

 

Just to be clear, ricks, when you say second mastering, you mean the mastering in the green group, right?

I ask because I recall that you preferred the mastering in the orange group before:

Unless I am just really confused here.

 

Thanks very much for your opinion, Kiki. (BTW I like your avatar.)

 

I have read elsewhere that you prefer the 35DP, can you say which one? Green or Orange group?

 

My copy is silver/black.

FWIW any gold tinted Sony CDs fetch very high bid in Japan Yahoo auction these days.

 

Thanks, so the green group.

 

The earlier post is correct [I think]. My recent one is in error. So many original Stranger masterings it can be confusing and this album is not alone in that respect. Makes me laugh when folks say they don't like or like an original CD without stating which one , that is if they even know which...

FWIW: The Sony Stranger SACD is the only digital version of the album that sits on my shelf. As mentioned I've not even opened my MFSL as of yet. I will say the MFSL of Pianoman and Turnstiles are as close to reference as those recording will ever get. As for the rest have either not compared them or opened them, have not been in Joel state of mind for while.