Is MOFI L. Ronstadt Prisoner in Disguise better?

I can tell you that the problems are so evident, that it will not make a difference. It is the sound of the mastering that sucks. The original is much more natural. It is just no contest. Check for yourself. If you like Linda Ronstadt, the original goes for about 2 bucks compared to 35 bucks, again, no contest.

Let us know how it sounds when you straighten out your mistracking and anti skating problems.

If your thinking of buying the MOFI, don't waste your money, getthe original for 2 dollars.

I just played the MOFI Prisoner and the Original Prisoner back to back again just to see if I was on glue. All I can say is NO CONTEST. The original blows it away in extension, separation, presence, body and "detail" if you can believe that. I am NOT on glue after all. I thought it was my phono section for the mish mosh sound of the Mofi. I am happy to say that their is nothing wrong with me phono section or alignment. MOFI needs to get someone who knows how to press vinyl because this was a major waste of money or a really horrible pressing. The "Don't Cry Now" re-release is not much better What happened to Stan Ricker anyway? This does not sound like his work.

>>03-17-10: Rhljazz
The point I was attempting to make was that the Mo Fi Prioner LP was sonically superior to the average original release Ronstadt LP as played through my system.<<

And my point is that is useless information. You simply cannot compare 2 different recordings/pressings and draw any worthwhile conclusions.

It is purely speculative/meaningless and really is a disservice to the readers here.

I totally understand the VTA adjustments and the differences they make. I do have the Simple Dreams original and it sounds pretty good. I have not heard the mOFI nor do I plan on making the purchase after my recent experiences. The one newer MOFI release that I have that sounds decent is the Madeleine Peyroux Careless Love LP. It is the same vinyl weight as the MOFI Prisoner in Diguise. The Alison Krauss and Union Station So Long So Wrong is also pretty decent.

I also have an old Japanese pressing of "Whats New" and it is sonically superior to these and its vinyl weight is much less. It is much better as in "blows away" any of the above mentioned. Better quality period.

Ever since the original MOFI went under, their quality has never been the same. If you do not believe me, buy one and listen for yourself.

How many people compensated for the thicker 180 gm MFSL vnyl (besides AudioFeil I'm sure :) ) by raising the tonearm. Most modern cartridges with their exotic shapes are very VTA sensitive and it makes a sizeable difference in the sound of the MFSL issues--eps. if your VTA is set for the thinner original pressing!

Myles

Q-And what is there to learn from this comparison of two different pressings/recordings?

A-Nothing.
Audiofeil

A-Feil, the OP was disappointed by the sonics of the Mo Fi release of Prioner in Disguise. I have the same album and do not find it to be an inferior recording. I have several Ronstadt albums that are original releases. The recorded quality of those are pretty much the same, neither great nor terrible. The point I was attempting to make was that the Mo Fi Prioner LP was sonically superior to the average original release Ronstadt LP as played through my system.

If your experience is otherwise, it would be interesting to know your pressing number and what specifically you find objectionable.

>>03-16-10: Rhljazz
Last night I listened to an original of Simple Dreams and then played the Mo Fi Prisoner in Disguise and I found the Mo Fi to be sonically superior.<<

Q-And what is there to learn from this comparison of two different pressings/recordings?

A-Nothing.

I found the mofi to be lacking in the analog sound that I want from a record and sounded very digital. Bass goes much deeper on the original. JD Souther and Linda sound more dynamic on the original. Instrument Timbre sounded more natural on the original as well It is also much clearer and their voices sound like two separate voices as opposed to two voices sounding like one on the MOFI. The MOFI sounds pinched. This is the third MOFI that sounded inferior to the original. My Roy Orbison was defective and noisy. The vinyl on the Prisoner in Disguise is also noisier than the original. The old MOFI's were pretty quiet. If my copy is defective, shame on MOFI as it is the third out of the last five purchased with a problem. All I know is when I want to listen to Prisoner in Disguise, I do not hesitate to reach for the original. I will probably sell the MOFI. I have compared the two on a 200,000k system and we were all in agreement. We were all suprised. I also brought an older MOFI SOLTI The Planets and it sounded great.

Last night I listened to an original of Simple Dreams and then played the Mo Fi Prisoner in Disguise and I found the Mo Fi to be sonically superior. My copy is 00974. There is no way I would even think about calling it barely listenable. Compared to Simple Dreams it is a more detailed recording. Looking at your components it would not appear that you would have an over analytical sound. Have you tried your recording in another system? Maybe you just have a bad copy. That would be the easiest way to find out.

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

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.

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".

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.

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!

MOFI has always been "hit or miss" in my experience. The worst piece of sonic dreck I have heard lately from MOFI is John Lennon's "Imagine," but that maybe how the damn thing was recorded. Just because it says MOFI doesn't mean it is going to be the best pressing of that recording that you have ever heard. If you are afraid of taking a chance with your $30-$35, wait until others buy it and read some reviews. Sometimes MOFI gets it right, you just can't take it to the bank.

I have some of the older ones from the 80's and they are decent, obviously going downhill from then

I have the MOFI Roy Orbison Greatest Hits and found it quite disapointing too ..........

My experience with MOFI vinyl is very few of them, perhaps 20%, surpass the original pressings.

An exception is Crime of the Century which is one of MOFI's shining stars IMO.

At the other extreme are Sticky Fingers and Aja which have been totally butchered by the engineers.

YMMV

I recently bought a copy of ,Santana,that sounds ,dull,flat.Drives me crazy ,I have a copy of ,Rickie Lee Jones,that sounds so good!!! Both are MFSL ,Original Master Recording.Ironic that I paid 34.00 for the crappy sounding one,and only 2.00 used for theGREAT sounding copy,hmm.I would love to have some GREAT sounding MFSL LPs ,but not willing to spend another 34.00 for a CHANCE to own a GREAT sounding copy!

It just sounds horrible. It is not better at all. The voices are clearer and there is more focus on the original. The drums go deeper. It is just much better on the original. I guess I am just disappointed because I was expecting great things.

I just picked up the MOFI Metallica Master of Puppets and it is horrible. The bass is missing in action and the sound is very flat. The CD version sounds much better.

I also picked up Ride The Lightning and Kill Em All. After listening to Master of Puppets I am going to return the others without even opening them. I am also going to try to return the open one as well.

Not only did it not sound good there was a distortion on the first track in two places.

This is completely unacceptable.

I find it hard to believe that someone listened to the end result of this reissue and let it go into production.