Mobile Fidelity 24k CDs

@goofyfoot 

Yes. Agreed. I'm by no means one of those guys who asserts that "original CD releases are always the best". This is apparently "gospel" for some, here.

Personally, I've had extremely variable results. Sometimes the originals sound better. Often, remasters sound different but not necessarily better and sometimes remasters definitely sound better... to my ears, of course. As you assert, it's a matter of taste. 

At this point, a sufficient number of MoFi CDs have disappointed me that I'm disinclined to purchase any more. I have a few Analogue Production CDs and these fall into the "different but not better" category, for me. 

Part of the equation is that my system is now sufficiently resolving and sufficiently dialed in to make decently mastered CDs sound very good and well-mastered CDs sound excellent to stunning. Of course, there will always be some recordings that cannot be helped by remastering... "Layla" comes to mind immediately. I've tried various versions and have (ironically, perhaps, given the topic at hand) opted to stick with the old MoFi gold discs. ;o)

@stuartk I believe that ‘Layla’ remaster was relatively recent. If you like Eric kClapton, then I’d recommend the ‘Blind Faith’ remaster from many, many years ago. They did a remix that warrants having, even if the original is highly prized. The old Traffic remasters are also pretty good, however they never released a version of ‘Johnny Barleycorn Must Die’. The Grateful Dead ‘Mars Hotel’ was remastered twice. Once in the late 1980’s and another time just around two years ago. There is a significant improvement in the most recent release however that recording isn’t that good to begin with, so there’s an issue with separation, balance and distortion. The original Traffic recordings are just old and there’s just no work around under those circumstances. My two favorite MOFI remasters are Bob Dylan’s ‘Blood On The Tracks’ and The Grateful Dead’s ‘American Beauty’. Those both turned out really nice while giving the slight edge to ‘Blood On The Track’s’. So in a very discursive way, what I’m saying is that yes, the catalogue is inconsistent but I would say the same thing regardless of who does a remaster/re-release of pre recorded material. There’s absolutely no way they couldn’t be unless the original tapes were all recorded in the same studio, by the same producers, with the same equipment and at the same time. And while the historical period of the recordings are worthy of serious consideration, some earlier recorded tapes sound better than recent ones. The Analogue Productions ‘Scheherazade’ RCA Richter/CSO remaster that was originally recorded in the later 1950’s on a three track machine is jaw dropping. There are just so many variables to consider, that it’s either hit or miss or get to together with someone who owns a lot of these re- releases and pick there brain. My last purchased re-releases are Japanese paper sleeve remasters of the three Nick Drake studio albums. I’m happy with them however what they lack in detail, they make up for in warmth of tone. Anyway, recordings are flawed and they’ll always be that way but I would never want to be the guy who makes the blanket statement that all remasters are b*ll s**t.

My MFSL Layla Ultradisc gold UDCD 585 is, according to Discogs, from 1993.

You may laugh at this... I prefer the rhino remasters of both Workingman’s and A. Beauty to their recent MoFi hybrid counterparts. I also prefer the old MFSL Mars Hotel to the recent hybrid. Same with Caravanserai and Rock of Ages. All these hybrids sound rather dull to me -- the redbook layer, at least -- I don’t have an SACD player. Perhaps your system is more resolving or just brighter, overall? Or what sounds "warm" to you sounds "dull" to me? I don’t like overly bright sound in guitars or audio but I don’t like dull, either.

On the other hand, I’ve tried Japanese hybrids of Layla and Exile on Main Street and found both way too bright. Do the Japanese all listen on tube gear? ? ?

I have Traffic’s 2nd album and Low Spark on MFSL golds and they sound good enough. For Exile, I've settled on the Bob Ludwig Virgin remaster. Same with Sticky Fingers. 

@tattooedtrackman 

congratulations on your upgrades!  MOFI is MOFi.  Having said that, the biggest difference between the gold and the aluminum layers, is that there is a small chance that the aluminum ones degrade in time, but the gold one’s pretty much live forever. I’ve bought thousands of CD’s and have had maybe six have issues and these are all factory, not Office Despot copies.

All the best.

@curiousjim I believe the Gold Archival CD’s have a life expectancy of three hundred years. I personally won’t be around to find out.