Ok, I love MFSL, have the original MFSL (Mobile Fidelty Sound Lab) Layla, one of the first things MFSL did . . . but this has gotten out of control.... there are 176 remasters of Layla and counting by now. Was looking for opinions on the recent MFSL remaster, and found a rabid audiophile thread going nuts discussing all the Laylas. From pre-issue to release, and after, by page 18 there are audio maniacs posting things like "I have 26 versions of Layla, am I crazy?" and "What is wrong with us?"
Worth checking out, portrait of an obsession, hilarious, Steve Hoffman forum great to be aware of, great discussions about sound there:
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/mfsl-layla-hybrid-sacd.666211/
I have five versions of At Fillmore East lol
Hate to feed the beast, but if you don't have LAFE mfsl you need six versions!
I guess i have approx. 10 different versions of LAFE on cd and vinyl but not the MFSL version. So i guess i have a legit argument to get yet another edition? 😛 😛 😛
Hate to feed the beast, but if you don't have LAFE mfsl you need six versions!
Definitely have the MFSL cd , forgot about the DTS 5.1 version so six it is lol .
Re: Fillmore MFSL...just got it finally. Blows my Nautilus Superdisk out of the water. Nautilus went straight to Ebay. MFSL is a stunning achievement... amazing sonics. Berry Oakley has never sounded so good/authoritative.
Layla MFSL is my next big audiophile LP purchase. Can't wait cuz my copy is garbage. I know it'll be like hearing it for the first time. Waiting until MOFI releases Shady Grove so I can purchase both and save on shipping however. Just gotta be patient, lol...last thing I need is more vinyl. Speaking of Garcia/Gris...the MFSL of their self-titled? collaboration is just amazing. The Friend of the Devil may be the most beautiful ever put to tape...and Arabia REALLY shines in this audiophile format. Recommended!!!!
The new Layla mfsl should be fantastic, drop a note here when you hear it.
I waded thru the Steve Hoffman forum Layla thread, mainly to find what opinions were between the first mfsl Layla and the recent one. Really couldn't find anyone mentioning "better" or "worse". Which is why the thread got so insane. The remasters are all great. What did surface is that the original mfsl is not as bright as the new remaster. But the new may sacrifice warmth for accuracy.
Looks like once these remasters pull the recording out of obviously poor analog-digital transfer, then the mixes just plateau out and you have to find one that suits your personal wiring and system.
You can't have it all in one mix. And to make it worse the original Layla was a somewhat muddy recording to start with, so that will always be there.
