MFSL cd's vs. Redbook cd's


I am still fairly new to this hobby. Prior to a couple of months ago, I had never heard of Mobile Fidelity cd's. How much better sounding are these disc compared to standard redbook cd's of the same title? Do the high prices on eBay and other sites equate to a higher quality listening experience? Thanks in advance for your feedback.
houstonjazzfan
I think some of the MFSL disc sound fantastic.
They are very clean sounding with less hash and glare.

I love them but the truth is many of the recent standard redbook remasters are excellent too.

I use Rocket man as my reference track for demoing my system when I make a change or adjustment

I few of the ones I think are the best are

Honky Cheateau
Madman Across the water
Tumbleweed Connection
Goodby Yellow Brick Road
Who Are You
John Lennon
The Pink Floyd discs are great too
You can find them on ebay all the time
I like
GNR
Supertramp

Check out Mighty Sam on JVC XRCD too!

Just dont buy MFSL sealed copies they are overpriced

The Jon Lennon new MFSL discs are also great

1. Most MSFL gold CDs are redbook CDs (excluding newer SACDs of course). I believe they've all been re-mastered. MFSL produced aluminum CDs as well as gold CDs.

2. There have been 2 MFSLs, the original and the current one owned by Music Direct in Chicago. The vast majority were manufactured by the original MFSL. I believe the original went out of business. A few titles have been released by both entities.

3. Generally, IMO they sounded better than standard releases of the same titles available at the time (I've owned many over the years). However, in many cases even better sounding versions have subsequently been released. I also own several newer MFSL gold CDs which sound excellent.
PS: I don't believe I would pay $500 for any CD.
They're both Redbook. Many do sound better than the standard CD because of superior mastering. On balance, the differences are more subtle than extreme. Worth it? Not to me.

Wendell
As Rja said Music Direct has started reissuing certain titles on gold cd under the Mobile Fidelity label within about the last year. You can see the titles on their web site.

You can buy one or two of these to see if they are worth the extra money to you.

As for older MF gold cds some may still be the best sounding, but cd sound quality is improving pretty quickly so a recent non MF remaster may sound better.

There are also Deluxe Edition and Legacy Edition aluminum cds that are remastered and are usually expanded 2 cd sets. These reissues usually offer live material or alternate takes on the second cd.

So I wouldn't spend a lot of money to get an older MF gold cd but if you can get one for a reasonable price check it out and see what you think.