Definitive Audiophile pressings

[Joe Mac]

Look at what VMP is charging for their offerings. Insane. They aren’t MoFi and likely never will be.

To be fair VMP’s prices are so out of kilter with reality that using them to defend other companies over pricing, even mofi, isn’t really a fair cop.

I do have the previous desire, which I assume is the same master? It’s pretty damn good, but $75 is a lotta lotta money.

 

[HiFi Guy]

To be fair VMP’s prices are so out of kilter with reality that using them to defend other companies over pricing, even mofi, isn’t really a fair cop.

I do have the previous desire, which I assume is the same master? It’s pretty damn good, but $75 is a lotta lotta money.

I won’t be replacing anything I’ve already got with the new version. I did with BOTT, but that’s an exception.

 

[dhodo]

The price isn’t that bad considering the following:

Super Vinyl is the quietest currently available formulation that I’ve heard.

If they are cutting new laquers, availability of blank laquers has dropped substantially since the California fire.

Look at what VMP is charging for their offerings. Insane. They aren’t MoFi and likely never will be.

If that's worth it to you, that's great. I don't think there is really any justifying it based on actual costs, but obviously for the limited can't get it anywhere else factor they can charge what they want.

I personally don't have a problem with my current MoFis noise level, so that is a big upcharge to solve a problem that I don't have.

I really liked MoFi's products and price point for quality when they pressed something I was interested in, but their current shift in focusing almost exclusively on limited, 45rpm 2xLP and Super Vinyl at a huge markup is absolutely not for me. I'd rather focus on best pressing vintage copies when we are talking this crazy price point. I don't think I will ever be the target for a company who's cheapest press is $50, unless the only other options are much more because vintage copies are scarce and valuable and good reissues are oop.

At this point VMP is looking considerably cheaper than MoFi so I dunno about that comparison. Are you saying that some of their Classics pressings aren't on a similar quality range with normal MoFi presses?

I think the original Desire is a pretty good press really. I think I need a dedicated listening room and at least $5k or closer to $10k in a system before these kinds of prices seem worth it to me when there is still so much out there I don't have! Some day.

 

[Joe Mac]

If that's worth it to you, that's great. I don't think there is really any justifying it based on actual costs, but obviously for the limited can't get it anywhere else factor they can charge what they want.

I personally don't have a problem with my current MoFis noise level, so that is a big upcharge to solve a problem that I don't have.

I really liked MoFi's products and price point for quality when they pressed something I was interested in, but their current shift in focusing almost exclusively on limited, 45rpm 2xLP and Super Vinyl at a huge markup is absolutely not for me. I'd rather focus on best pressing vintage copies when we are talking this crazy price point.

At this point VMP is looking considerably cheaper than MoFi so I dunno about that comparison. Are you saying that some of their Classics pressings aren't on a similar quality range with normal MoFi presses?

I think the original Desire is a pretty good press really. I think I need a dedicated listening room and at least $5k or closer to $10k in a system before these kinds of prices seem worth it to me when there is still so much out there I don't have! Some day.

I think the VMP comparison was a price for what you get comparison rather than $ for $. Also no VMP classic that I’ve heard, even the AAA Al Green and Aretha, comes close to any MoFI or AP that I own. I’d put them more on a par with some of the excellent AAA Rhino pressings of recent years or a Speakers Corner or Pure Pleasure type pressing.

 

[dhodo]

I think the VMP comparison was a price for what you get comparison rather than $ for $. Also no VMP classic that I’ve heard, even the AAA Al Green and Aretha, comes close to any MoFI or AP that I own. I’d put them more on a par with some of the excellent AAA Rhino pressings of recent years or a Speakers Corner or Pure Pleasure type pressing.

So what do you think the extra magic AP throws in there is when some of their pressings are cut by the same person and pressed at the same plant? There's also overlap with some Rhinos with cutting and plants when RTI and KG are involved, same as MM.

 

[Joe Mac]

So what do you think the extra magic AP throws in there is when some of their pressings are cut by the same person and pressed at the same plant? There's also overlap with some Rhinos with cutting and plants when RTI and KG are involved, same as MM.

Im going off comparing what I’ve listened to with my ears on my system rather than names or plants or whatever. To my ears I’d rank the pressings I’ve heard:

1. Dylan BOTT One Step
2. In Rainbows Diskbox
3. AP & MoFi 45RPM
4. AP & MoFi 33
5. VMP AAA classics/Rhino AAA Van Morrison/Neil Young reissues/Speakers Corner/Pure Pleasure

Of course there will be the odd pressing from each that might be better or worse than their norm but that’s how I see it generally.

i haven’t heard these new 45 represses on super vinyl but their existing 33 and 45 were sold at $35 and $50 which is far price/quality differential to me on US VMP prices, on international VMP prices the MoFIs are comparative bargains!

 

[dhodo]

Im going off comparing what I’ve listened to with my ears on my system rather than names or plants or whatever. To my ears I’d rank the pressings I’ve heard:

1. Dylan BOTT One Step
2. In Rainbows Diskbox
3. AP & MoFi 45RPM
4. AP & MoFi 33
5. VMP AAA classics/Rhino AAA Van Morrison/Neil Young reissues/Speakers Corner/Pure Pleasure

Of course there will be the odd pressing from each that might be better or worse than their norm but that’s how I see it generally.

If the cutter and equipment and the presser are the same, the manufacturing quality is the same. So it is confusing to me that you are making label-wide generalizations about quality seemingly independent of those things. That's why I asked what you thought they did differently.

Are you comparing pressings of the same albums? If you prefer one pressing to another with different albums, it is likely based on other variables, like original recording quality, the state of the tapes, or mastering choices, not the label producing the reissue. Obviously people prefer some mastering engineers choices to others which also could play into it, but on their Classics line, VMP is paying the same person to do the same thing that AP does (when the AP is a RKS cut). Sometimes AP gets KG or CB (another just like Rhino) or others to do their cuts too.

 

[Joe Mac]

If the cutter and equipment and the presser are the same, the manufacturing quality is the same. So it is confusing to me that you are making label-wide generalizations about quality.

Are you comparing pressings of the same albums? If you prefer one pressing to another with different albums, it is likely based on other variables, like original recording quality, the state of the tapes, or mastering choices, not the label producing the reissue. Obviously people prefer some mastering engineers choices to others which also could play into it, but on their Classics line, VMP is paying the same person to do the same thing that AP does (when the AP is a RKS cut). Sometimes AP gets KG or CB (just like Rhino) or others to do their cuts too.

Im making general comparisons based on the records I’ve heard. I owned every VMP AAA classic from Al Green to Aretha. I’ve sold quite a few of those since mind. I own a good few MoFi 33s across Dylan, Ryan Adams, Weezer and Bill Withers. I have a lot of MoFi 45s, all Dylan, and the single one step for Blood on the Tracks. I had previously owned that as a MoFI 33 a standard Columbia pressing and actually, not that anyone cares, a Columbia SACD.

Those rankings are my impressions of the quality of the pressings as a range across the board. That’s how I’d base my decision to buy and relative value merit if two ever released the same thing. Like it or not, I couldn’t really care less.

The one step blood on the tracks is the single most ridiculously beautiful sounding reproduction of music imaginable bar none, it’s a near religious experience.

 

[JonnyH]

The thing that is keeping me from going for this Dylan is that I can get some used mofi Stevie Wonder albums for that price, and I think I might listen to those more?

Hell, I dont know.

 

[Joe Mac]

The thing that is keeping me from going for this Dylan is that I can get some used mofi Stevie Wonder albums for that price, and I think I might listen to those more?

Hell, I dont know.

If you prefer Stevie go for Stevie. For all I said about how brilliant that one step is, I wouldn’t buy a single other title that they’ve released in that range. They’re not worth that money to me, however good they are. Blood on the Tracks is in my top 3 albums of all time, that was the only way I justified the cost!

 

[dhodo]

Im making general comparisons based on the records I’ve heard. I owned every VMP AAA classic from Al Green to Aretha. I’ve sold quite a few of those since mind. I own a good few MoFi 33s across Dylan, Ryan Adams, Weezer and Bill Withers. I have a lot of MoFI 45s all Dylan and the single one step for Blood on the Tracks. I had previously owned that as a MoFI 33 a standard Columbia pressing and actually, not that anyone cares, a Columbia SACD.

Those rankings are my impressions do the quality of the pressings as a range across the board. That’s how I’d base my decision to buy and relative value merit of two ever released the same thing. Like it or not, I couldn’t really care less.

The one step blood on the tracks is the single most ridiculously beautiful sounding reproduction of music imaginable bar none, it’s a near religious experience.

I also have pressings from all of those companies you mentioned as well as MM and I don't really see any broad quality differences vinyl wise. Biggest difference is jackets, with Rhino using cheaper jackets and VMP doing a terrible job with their ringwear scans and blur. I also haven't seen anyone in the audiophile community who does pressing reviews or the guys back when I frequented sh.tv expressing any difference in quality. And why should they be if they are manufactured the same? A few years ago there was only about a $10 difference in price between these Rhino pressings and AP, MoFi, and Music Matters pressings and I always chalked it up to a numbers game, since Rhino presses a lot more and goes cheaper on covers.

I haven't purchased any one-step or SRX or Super Vinyl, so I can't speak to those. That's awesome that the one step is a religious experience and I hope to hear one someday.

 

[Urbs_hott]

I was searching around for either an OOP mofi 45 of John Wesley Harding or Nashville Skyline when I got the email about Desire so I just went for that since the reseller prices for the first two were higher than this new release. It’s a crazy price buuuuuuuut that’s how I was able to justify it. OKAY??????

 

[wmeugene]

I was searching around for either an OOP mofi 45 of John Wesley Harding or Nashville Skyline when I got the email about Desire so I just went for that since the reseller prices for the first two were higher than this new release. It’s a crazy price buuuuuuuut that’s how I was able to justify it. OKAY??????

The original MoFi goes for well over $100 these days, so $75 isn't ridiculous if you were looking for this. A pressing run of 1000 isn't going to lower the asking price much on the originals.

 

[Joe Mac]

I also have pressings from all of those companies you mentioned as well as MM and I don't really see any broad quality differences vinyl wise. Biggest difference is jackets, with Rhino using cheaper jackets and VMP doing a terrible job with their ringwear scans and blur. I also haven't seen anyone in the audiophile community who does pressing reviews or the guys back when I frequented sh.tv expressing any difference in quality. And why should they be if they are manufactured the same? A few years ago there was only about a $10 difference in price between these Rhino pressings and AP, MoFi, and Music Matters pressings and I always chalked it up to a numbers game, since Rhino presses a lot more and goes cheaper on covers.

I haven't purchased any one-step or SRX or Super Vinyl, so I can't speak to those. That's awesome that the one step is a religious experience for the price and I hope to hear one someday.

It was only worth it to me because of how highly I regard that particular album. None of the rest they’ve released would even come under consideration! There are very few albums in existence that I would consider worth that outlay. The stars lined up on me in terms of the right album at the right time when I had a little money to spend and no significant pre orders in the pipes.

 

[JonnyH]

And they're gone!

 

[JonnyH]

It doesn't say its a mofi web exclusive like the Bacharach/Folds one so its theoretically possible some could pop up in stores.

 

[Joe Mac]

In Rainbows is the weird outlier in terms of quality of the pressings I own. It’s spectacular, it was easily the best I owned until the one step. Just a case of a random single special edition press of an album where everything seemed to come up perfect.

 

[MikeH]

Im going off comparing what I’ve listened to with my ears on my system rather than names or plants or whatever. To my ears I’d rank the pressings I’ve heard:

1. Dylan BOTT One Step
2. In Rainbows Diskbox
3. AP & MoFi 45RPM
4. AP & MoFi 33
5. VMP AAA classics/Rhino AAA Van Morrison/Neil Young reissues/Speakers Corner/Pure Pleasure

Of course there will be the odd pressing from each that might be better or worse than their norm but that’s how I see it generally.

i haven’t heard these new 45 represses on super vinyl but their existing 33 and 45 were sold at $35 and $50 which is far price/quality differential to me on US VMP prices, on international VMP prices the MoFIs are comparative bargains!

I can’t disagree with your list too much as far as a general rule of thumb. I’d have a similar overall ranking. Obviously there are exceptions both good and bad. I don't personally think that the gap is very big between the AP/MoFi 45 down to your level 5. I think who is doing the remaster is more important to me than what label is doing it at a certain point when we're in any of these categories (if we're ignoring jacket quality which I don't entirely care about. I like a nice jacket but I don't feel the need to spend money on ONLY that aspect of it.

I whole-heartedly agree on that Dylan One Step. I have 5 One Steps now (I only paid list price on Marvin Gaye, all others I got at significant discounts) and the Dylan one is my favorite by far. I agree that it's probably not worth buying any One Steps at list price or above unless it's an album you TRULY love.

 

[Joe Mac]

It doesn't say its a mofi web exclusive like the Bacharach/Folds one so its theoretically possible some could pop up in stores.

It’s already in the shop in the U.K. that I often end up stuck with for MoFi. The utter knobs are charging £99.99 for it. They gouge and then some on MoFi and AP. Although I suppose shipping from the US plus VAT adds a chunk and I might be coming across a bit mean. Also they get me the Grado cartridges at a fair price so

 

[Joe Mac]

I can’t disagree with your list too much as far as a general rule of thumb. I’d have a similar overall ranking. Obviously there are exceptions both good and bad. I don't personally think that the gap is very big between the AP/MoFi 45 down to your level 5. I think who is doing the remaster is more important to me than what label is doing it at a certain point when we're in any of these categories (if we're ignoring jacket quality which I don't entirely care about. I like a nice jacket but I don't feel the need to spend money on ONLY that aspect of it.

I whole-heartedly agree on that Dylan One Step. I have 5 One Steps now (I only paid list price on Marvin Gaye, all others I got at significant discounts) and the Dylan one is my favorite by far. I agree that it's probably not worth buying any One Steps at list price or above unless it's an album you TRULY love.

I'd agree but with the caveat that I think that there is a noticeable difference from the 45s to the 33s. But there is very little between the 33s for sure. What I will say is that mofi 33s are not significantly more than the $33 for an add on VMP track or the $49-52 I’d have to pay for my main VMP track as an internationals. The 1LP MoFi 33 ones are like $35?