Our Audiophile Scorecard - Winners and Losers

Audio Commentary

Audiophile

Our Audiophile Vinyl Scorecard -- Winners and Losers

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We have a section specifically devoted to our favorite pastime here at Better Records, a little something we like to call Debunking The Pseudo-Audiophile LP. The Audiophile's Choice -- the record that will do the best job of communicating the music through its superior sound quality -- is almost never going to be the one marketed to him as an Audiophile Pressing. If you find this in any way hard to believe, we encourage you to read on.

This section contains ratings and reviews of some of the Audiophile records that have come our way over the years. The most recent reviews are at the top. Records that have been given poor grades can also be found in our Hall of Shame, in the company of other audiophile pressings we found wanting.

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				Hall and Oates Abandoned Luncheonette MoFi Debunked (Item #: hallaaband_debunk_) Sonic Grade: F A Hall of Shame pressing and another MoFi LP debunked. Those of you who have had the misfortune to play the MoFi LP know that they absolutely ruined this album. They boosted the hell out of the top end, the last thing in the world this recording needed. Actually, that’s probably not true. People who collect MoFi records tend to like the kind of phony sound found on the MOFI of this title. To the extent that a MoFi collector is not happy with the sound, my guess is he would more than likely place the blame on the recording, not the mastering. more Info


				Barbra Streisand Guilty CBS Half-Speed Debunked (Item #: streiguilt_cbs_debunk) Sonic Grade: F A Hall of Shame pressing and another Half Speed debunked. We had two copies of the CBS Half-Speed in stock, and having just done a big shootout for the album, we decided to play them to see how they stood up against The Real Thing, the real thing in this case being a pretty common pressing: a plain old Columbia original. more Info


				Andre Previn & His Pals West Side Story MoFi Reviewed (Item #: previwests) Sonic Grade: B- Another MoFi LP reviewed. I played this record a while back -- it's one of the Mobile Fidelity's I remember liking from the old days -- and sure enough it still sounds good. It does not have the phony boosted bottom and top that most MoFis do. Since it's such a well recorded album, the sound is very impressive. Also the music is great. This is one of Previn's best piano trio records. And Shelly Manne drums up a storm here. more Info


				The Three The Three (45 RPM) (Item #: threethree_45_4plus) Folks, you are looking at the BEST SOUNDING RECORD we have ever played here at Better Records, and the good news for you dear reader, whether you're a true believer, a skeptic, or fall somewhere in between, is that it can be yours. There was a time when a record like this would go directly into my collection. If I wanted to impress someone, audiophile or otherwise, with the You-Are-There illusion that only Big Speakers in a dedicated room playing a LIVE recording can create, this would be the clear choice, possibly the only choice. There is simply nothing like it on vinyl in my experience. This copy was so amazing we awarded it the unheard of grade of A++++ on both sides. DEMO DISC QUALITY only BEGINS to do this one justice. We guarantee you have never heard a better sounding jazz record in your life. more Info


				Little Feat Time Loves A Hero Nautilus Debunked (Item #: littltimel_debunk) Sonic Grade: D Another Half-Speed Mastered Audiophile Pressing Debunked. We played a Hot Stamper pressing against a Nautilus Half-Speed and it was not even close. Just listen to how punchy the drums are on the best domestic copies, a perfect example of what proper mastering does right and Half-Speed mastering does wrong. When you listen to the Hot Stamper pressing, you feel that you are hearing this music EXACTLY the way the band wanted it to be heard. more Info


				Santana Abraxas MoFi Debunked (Item #: santaabrax_mofi_debunked) Sonic Grade: F A Hall of Shame pressing and another MoFi Half-Speed Mastered Audiophile LP debunked. The remastered Abraxas never got past the first elimination round; it had to have been one of the worst half-speeds I have ever heard. Dead dead dead as a doornail. more Info


				Jethro Tull Thick as a Brick MoFi Debunked (Item #: jethrthick_debunk) Sonic Grade: D A Hall of Shame pressing and another MoFi Half-Speed Mastered Audiophile LP debunked. The MoFi is super TRANSPARENT and OPEN, and the top end sounds lush and extended. If you prize clarity, this is the one! But if you prize clarity at the expense of everything else, you are seriously missing the boat on Thick As A Brick. The MoFi is all mids and highs with almost nothing going on below. This is a rock record, but without bass and dynamics the MoFi can’t rock, so what exactly is it good for? more Info


				George Benson Tell It Like It Is A&M Half-Speed Debunked (Item #: bensotellit_debunk_) Sonic Grade: F A Hall of Shame pressing and another Half-Speed Mastered Audiophile Pressing Debunked. The Half-Speed is pretty -- pretty lifeless if you ask me, in the way that so many Half-Speed mastered records are. It’s cut very clean, but until you play a good A&M pressing, you don’t know how much meat has been stripped from the bones. The best A&M pressings sound like a Rudy Van Gelder recording, which, of course, they are. more Info

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