MoFi v/s UHQR

i think AP UHQR or Impex One Step are all analog, whereas MFSL Ultra Disc One Step has a digital step. which is a distinction with a REAL DIFFERENCE.

you don’t know if you are screwed with the first two, 40-60 year old tapes don't always = sublime. it’s one of those random things about vinyl, but you are absolutely sure you are screwed with the MFSL.

YMMV.

why spend mega bucks for a digital step, just buy the high rez file cuz that is all you are actually getting.

A high-res file is going through a DAC; a vinyl LP is going through a cartridge, a turntable, and a phono preamp. I don't know how those are going to sound the same. 

@larsman 

sure, you can add on the colorations of the vinyl playback to the digital file and you might prefer it, but if you have a good dac the digital tape transfer will be on the same level and maybe better.

my point being that if you are starting out with a native analog recording, and you are contemplating spending over $100 on a digital step pressing, you are much better off (1) finding even a decent earlier all analog pressing of that recording, or (2) finding the best high rez tape transfer.....instead of the spendy digital step pressing. both (1) & (2) will be much cheaper and sound better. of course, some don't have high quality digital at all, so that is a different case.

the only justification of the digital step pressing is the packaging which is nice, and the convenience of it. and people are free to spend their money as they choose. 

I think a lot of people fail to realize or just ignore, the vast majority of recordings made since the 80s go through a digital processor of one type or another (limiers, compressors, reverb, etc). So regardless of the master multi track being analog or digital, it has at least one step in the digital domain anyway. So, for those who say "but it’s not analog anymore" it never was in the first place.

@roadwhorerecords

purchasing any of these one step expensive pressings, whether with a digital step or not, are 100% pre-1980’s. so there is always an all analog alternative to any of them. which is the main issue.

digitally sourced post-1980 pressings don’t have that alternative, it’s simply a matter of preference for the Lp or file/disc version according to taste. there is never an all analog alternative. so you just follow your ear to the way you prefer your music. and don’t worry about it.

so you cannot really compare the choices, they are fundamentally different. the only question is whether you like the music enough to acquire it.