Is MOFI L. Ronstadt Prisoner in Disguise better?

Hi Mark,

Was just listening to the MFSL of Imagine tonight when comparing the Titan i vs. the ZYX Omega Gold lo). . I don't have an original around any more to compare but I wouldn't call the MFSL Imagine dreck. It's far from dreck :) But it's a 70s rock recording and the number of bad sounding releases far outweight the good sounding releases.

Maybe there's some variation in pressing or sometimes I find that one, because these co's don't dehorn, needs to play the LP several times for it to sound its best. Then of course the VTA/SRA needs to be adjusted for these albums-esp. w/todays best cartridges that are exceedingly sensitive to variations in height.

Now, the question of original vs. reissue is a whole different bag of worms :) A zillion variables to consider. But the one thing to remember is that these record co's keep vinyl and turntable sales going and look at what the prices of original releases of these albums are goinkg for. Would you (or most) rather pay say $50 for a Bill Evans Waltz for Debby (45 rpm) or 3-500 for an original. The same goes for Deccas who now command $300 to over $1000 nowadays :( And no matter what, analog release sounds far better than digital!

Myles-I will give it another spin when I finish getting my "new" arm set up on my TNT. I could't make it past the first few songs the first and only time I played it. I believe that part of this album was recorded by Lennon at home with a cassette deck and over dubs were done at the Record Plant recording studio. I hope to have my Fidelity Research FR64s up and running by this weekend.

I have some Metallica reissues on WEA 45 rpm and I think they are total garbage as well - same issues - bass missing in action, flat sound. And they have sterling reviews from some "professionals".

I don't have the original pressing, but my Ronstadt MoFi LP sounds good on my system. I don't hear anything that stands out in a negative way.

The MOFI was a disappointment because I am expecting superior fidelity for 35.00 a copy. While it is barely listenable, I could have gone to the flea market for a better copy than I already have and paid about 3 dollars for it. Not only is the original cheaper, it sounds wayyy better, no contest. MOFI, don't do me any favors with these re-releases, I can still get the original!
So for that reason, thumbs down for MOFI big time. It sounds sort of digital, in an abrasive way. This is just another disappointment from MOFI. Many of the newer releases have the traits mentioned here. The older MOFI's from the eighties seem to be better and more consistent.

I do have a few that Stan Ricker was involved with and they do sound good, so there are some exceptions