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

Thanks for clarifying. I have the orange mastering on the way and will soon compare it to the green one.

 

Haha, good one.

Seems like this SACD is one of the most divisive from MFSL, opinion is split down the middle. Personally I enjoy listening to it, but I can see why others don't. It's a very laid back and subdued mix, more analogue than digital. I found that the volume needed cranking up to truly appreciate it. The sound is very smooth and not in the least bit bright.

 

Looks like the 45 x2 LP from Mobile Fidelity will finally be shipping soon.

 

Not much info on the vinyl release. Not even listed at Amazon yet. Anyone have any further info beyond the basics?

 

Elusive disc has the 45 in stock

 

I love my Sony SACD's of "The Stranger" and "52nd Street." I can't imagine the MFSL SACD's besting them. Any consensus?

 

I doubt that there would be any consensus. I have listened to both Sony and MFSL, and there is no contest. The Sony is light years closer to the original vinyl mastering. The MFSL gets BJ's voice all wrong and his piano all wrong. I think they may have played the tape back at the wrong speed (probably due to a different playback machine or the tape being "stretched"). On the MFSL, BJ's voice sounds about 15 years older than the young man his was at the time. The piano sounds distorted in places and sometimes is buried. The Sony SACD's are "right", just like the second CBS/Sony Japan mastered CD's (see posts above for the matrices of these 2nd CBS/Sony Japan mastered discs).

 

Any update on this yet, George?

 

I think they each have strengths. I'm still on the fence, sorry. I like them both more than the MOFI, though.

I'm try and compare again over the weekend.

 

Thanks!
Have a good weekend...

 

You too!

 

the blue Column US CDs may not be the prefered version, but does it still sound better then the Mofi?
I was thinking of picking that up only one i seen at store.

 

Strike that last comment, since i dont see an edit comment I will just say it.
It seems more people in this thread prefer the redbook layer to the sacd of the mofi, am i correct?

 

I just got the Mofi CD edition yesterday. Have literally just unwrapped it. Sort of wish I hadn't come across this thread now!

 

Just a Rob LoVerde remaster

One of the most overrated engineers IMO

 

I have the Stranger & the Mofi sounds "Great".

 

How about we stick to discussing the mastering, instead of the mastering engineer?

 

I have the MFSL The Stranger and I am happy with the mastering. The mastering is understated and not aggressive. I have always felt that the final mix of this great performance was too compressed. This cannot be changed via mastering so the only real differences in the countless masterings of this album have been to EQ choices. Of course, we all have different opinions on EQ settings based on our preferences and playback systems.

Bob

 

I guess Rob LoVerde usually do a good job. These BJ remasters are exceptions to me.

 

He just likes to tease his two good friends over at Mofi. Ask him if he still buys this overrated product?

 

People, this post is clearly a joke. There is no difference is pitch or speed from the MFSL CD to the other CD versions. The MFSL sounds very close to the Japanese 35DP CD.

 

Which 35DP CD mastering are you referring to? There is the original 35DP mastering, which would be on the original gold tinted face, with crude font matrix, and there is the 2nd 35DP mastering, which would be on the pressings with a '35DP-2 101A1 +++++' matrix code. There is a significant difference in SQ between the two different masterings. In fact, to say the MoFi version of 'The Stranger' "sounds very close to the Japanese 35DP CD" (If you are referring to the 1st 35DP mastering), is really no compliment at all (quite the contrary). If you have the 2nd 35DP CD with the 5 '+' in the matrix, the Sony SACD, and an original vinyl pressing (mastered by Robert Ludwig), pressings available to you, I would recommend you compare them to one another, and report back here what your conclusions are.

In my personal findings with the various mastering pressings of 'The Stranger', there is a consistency between the 2nd 35DP (with 5 '+'), the Sony SACD, and the original vinyl pressing, in the mastering, that just isn't there with the MoFi SACD of 'The Stranger'.

 

I agree 100%.

 

Agreed. My Sony SACD of The Stranger is one of the best sounding digital discs I own. Even the multichannel is pretty impressive on it.

 

I had to look up what mastering my versions is in prior threads. Apparently I have what is usually named the "2nd Japanese mastering", with EAC peak values 74.2/69.5/68.5/75.6/74.9/86.6/52.5/78.3/76.8, the matrix is just "35DP-2 101", no barcode on the back cover.

I do not agree with you that it is necessary to have all the versions mentioned above to make the observation that I did. Are you also saying that MFSL lowered the pitch on their version?