Is the AUDIOPHILE Mo-FI vinyl of "Thriller" worth the price? ► Mo-Fi Gate ► Analog Vs Digital

€150 versus €24 or even less than €20 when "Thriller" is on offer and in that case I always point it out to you on the VinilicaMente Telegram channel which you can find linked in the description. The best version we can have on vinyl today of this masterpiece, compared to the standard reissue we find in physical and online stores; then there is also the remastered one recently published in 2022 by Sony on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the best-selling album of all time and since we

are throwing ourselves into the fray we will also throw into the fray a first pressing from 1982. Since this is a Mobile Fidelity publication we will the point about Mo-Fi Gate, the scandal that has engulfed the American label in the last year. we'll see how it ended and what essentially changed for us enthusiasts, but above all thanks to targeted audio tests, with this video we will finally understand what the difference is between the reissue for everyone and the reissue for the rich. Natural

ly, what I have just done is a simplification that I need to capture your attention and make you reflect on the message that often passes through specialized forums and sites and sometimes even here on YouTube, namely that the mo-fi editions are the absolute reference and if If you want to listen to a proper album, we have to turn to these reissues. and in practice this does not differ much from the truth, except that too often what is missing on forums or on blogs or on YouTube is ancillary con

sideration , but which in the end is not so accessory, that is, that the prints or reprints traditional shop products are not something to be satisfied with, they are not digital rubbish to be despised. from this point of view, audiophile channels and forums that do so much good for the community of enthusiasts when conducted with common sense do more damage than hail when they are frequented by fanatics who drive away newbies or those who would like to be new to vinyl, i.e. those who would like

to get closer to vinyl and they go around the internet looking for information because it's clear that if you repeatedly say that everything that isn't triple A, that is, everything that isn't completely analogue, isn't worth listening to, it beats you back, in the end you find someone who believes you out of inexperience, simply because they don't have enough knowledge to understand that you're being a complete fool. The sad truth, not to quote Umberto Eco's famous phrase, is that the internet

has given voice to many professors and many false prophets. But as happens with almost every aspect of life, there is almost always the other side of the coin because if some creators and some users do more damage than hail - and unfortunately there are some - if some relentlessly practice extreme Celolongism, there there are others that raise interesting and common sense questions, casting doubt on something that until then was taken for granted, almost engraved on the tables of the law of the

vinyl audiophile. The most passionate and informed of this crazy world of vinyl will know that I'm getting to the much discussed Mo-Fi Gate and therefore they already know; for the others I will give as brief a summary as possible of a story that has dragged on for months. and then mobile fidelity for mo-fi friends: for years considered among the best labels, if not THE best for vinyl releases. the great quality of his often very expensive reissues has always gone hand in hand with the absolute

belief on the part of the enthusiasts who purchased them that those publications were triple A, i.e. entirely analogue: from the recording, to the master, to the support. a belief that mo-fi has subtly fueled over the years by issuing statements or interviews in which they vaguely answered the question of whether it was all truly analogue or even in some cases assuring... heck of course it's all analogue! and these answers were not only provided privately to customers who asked for clarificatio

n via email, but also publicly. Look at this excerpt taken from a video published by an enthusiast in January 2017. Well done phenomena! That's how it's done! Let's throw it in that place to gullible customers! Cheers for mo-fi! it's all beautiful with a long line of audiophiles who in recent years have torn their clothes to reiterate how superior the mo-fi reissues are because super analogue and that shop reissues are instead digital rubbish for those who understand nothing about music and - it

goes without saying - understand even less about vinyl. it never crossed the mind, except to a few small thinkers, that the reissues of the mythological Original Master Recording series could be an analogue digital hybrid. all this until mo-fi, with the cunning and foresight of a vintage Fantozzi, comes out with the announcement of the pre-order of its re-release of Thriller for the Ultradisc 1 Step series, i.e. the one that mo-fi itself defines it as the future of hi-fi because it reduces the

production steps that lead from the master to vinyl to offer a sound performance as close as possible to the original recording. and so far in theory so good. What's the problem ? the problem arises when mo-fi announces a limited edition of 40,000... 40,000 pieces! an unthinkable quantity if you really want to work the original master in analogue without degrading it and it is a quantity totally out of scale even compared to the print runs of the previous volumes of the uUltradisc 1 Step series,

which in any case were never low, see the 10,000 of "Pearl" by Janis Joplin, "Folk Singer" by Muddy Waters, "The Robots" by The Alan Parsons Project and so on. In short, even in the face of these circulations, some suspicion should have arisen, but 40,000 is to make a fuss in front of the sheriff; 40,000 is a sensational own goal. and then just stop for a moment and think: do you think Sony will lend the master of Thriller to make 40,000 copies? it would come back to him all crumbled, we're tal

king about science fiction! our Giulio Cesare Ricci - and here we see a fragment of an interview I did with him a few years ago - has repeatedly reiterated over the years that to guarantee the same quality from the first to the last copy of a print run, this should not never exceed 500 units and in fact the 496 copies of fonè publications are famous. If you like this video, leave a like, it takes a moment and helps me create more content like this and then let me know in the comments below which

print of Thriller you own and if you've ever listened to a Mobile Fidelity release and what you think of it. below, in the comments! but let's go back to the mo-fi phenomena announcing the Thriller preorder. the community is enthusiastic, but there is also someone who finally wonders... Oh but how is it possible that with the Ultradisc 1 Step technique you can make 40,000 copies from the original Master? Do You Really Run that Copy that often? And then doubt after doubt, video after video, foru

m after forum finally bursts the bubble and faced with mounting doubts from the community, but above all from its customers, mo-fi is forced to admit that since 2011 it has intervened digitally on 60% of all his total releases and in that 60% are all those from the Ultradisc One Step series except one, "Sunday Village Vanguard" by the Bill Evans Trio. But how does Mobile Fidelity intervene digitally? it does this by transferring the original analogue master onto dsd256 files , i.e. digital files

which reach a quality 256 times higher than that of a CD. I repeat: 256 times higher than that of a CD. obviously we are talking about abstraction because the human ear would never be able to capture such a high quality even if the bionic man's eardrum were installed . despite this, giving a reference is important to make it clear that these are digital files of the highest quality which are then processed in the analogue domain with the greatest possible care until the vinyl put on the market

is obtained and the mo-fi vinyls, it must be said, really sound well, they sound scary and during the video I will also tell you what I think of the price at which they are sold. as far as the digital/analog discussion is concerned, if you already follow me you will know that I don't judge a publication based on this, i.e. if it has three A's, four A's, five A's - which don't exist naturally, but to make you understand - I'm not interested if a publication... yes interests me from a philological

point of view, it doesn't interest me in the formulation of my opinion. I judge the sound performance by possibly comparing it to other publications, but I'm interested in how it sounds, not if it's digital, not if it's completely analog... having said that, compliments to the mo-fi phenomena for transparency but fortunately it's an American company. In what sense? in the sense that in America they don't joke about these clever things and not even about class actions from customers who are angr

y like vipers. And in fact mo-fi was sentenced to compensate its customers for a total of 25 million dollars which may have an impact on them up to a certain point, but I really believe that they will think twice before doing the tricks again. And in fact... Look what appears now on their editions? this sticker appears which clarifies that to obtain this publication there is a digital step. Analog master , very high resolution digital file, analog console therefore analog domain, lacquer and you

will understand that such a sticker is a little different from the one used on previous publications where absolutely nothing is written, it is only written that this It is printed on super vinyl. another thing to say is that for the first time a release of this Ultradisc One Step series is on a single 33 rpm vinyl. Well… actually not quite the first time. if we follow the catalog this is number 42 of the Ultradisc One Step series, it is written here on the rib. This is the first: 41, "Robots"

by Alan Parsons Project. This is number 41 and you see that here too the sticker is the one with the current disclaimer. another thing to point out from the artwork point of view is that the box set is very different. now we also look at it inside. externally it is very different from the previous ones, look at the difference in thickness. There are those who prefer such a thickness for box sets, for particular publications because they differ completely from the others in their collection, then

because often larger means that in short you have spent your money better, thinner thickness has stolen something from you ... Of course I'm joking :) but there are those who prefer a smaller thickness because it is more contained and therefore takes up less space in their discotheque in the kallx, in the super prestige cabinet, in short... whatever you like! and now let's go and see what the artwork is of this mobile fidelity publication dedicated to the 40th anniversary of Thriller, the best-

selling album of all time in general and also on vinyl. let's put the prints I have available next to each other: the standard one from the fortieth anniversary, the 2015 one and the first print from 1982 for a quick comparison of the artwork to see if everything is there, then naturally something will be different. This is the back where we have the barcode, limited edition of 40,000 and the number obviously. this is number 20,550 printed in the USA and here is the catalog number Ultradisc One

Step 1/42 so single vinyl catalog number 42. the easiest way to open it is to cut the cellophane slightly here because I want to leave this cellophane . Here it is very delicately and let's see if I can already extract the vinyl like this. Here it is, simpler than expected. There's no more control here... there's nothing left. here inside we find this card that replicates the original cover with the very famous Original Master Recording band this replicates the internal cover of the first print

let's take it because at least we can see it quickly. Here you can see this replica of the inner cover, this is the original inner sleeve and you can see why the previous owner, who knows where, kept it with all these mold stains. This is the original inner sleeve and let's see what the inner sleeve of this edition is: it is a single card, it is not an inner sleeve like the previous one. a nice print, you can see that it is solid paper, the characters are clearly legible, obviously these are pre

mium materials and I would also like to see what they cost. this is the back of the original cover I'll show you right away, here it is. so here is an exact replica obviously with the mo-fi band; this is vinyl real with the reduced cover, here there is the golden mobile fidelity logo and here the same thing always golden Ultradisc One Step. on the back there are the titles of the songs but everything changes, let's see. what is the packaging? a thick white card and inside in an inner sleeve obvi

ously mo-fi of the premium ones which are oh well the same as the ones I use to stand out except that there is the writing which is much cooler and we see the disc "pressed on super vinyl" here. But what is super vinyl? super vinyl is a new polyvinyl chloride mix specifically designed by mo-fi to reduce background noise and drastically increase definition. it is a carbon-free compound and in fact when backlit we can see from the other side, which does not happen with a traditional PVC compound.

the super vinyl above all allows the creation of cleaner grooves which according to mo-fi return a sound performance indistinguishable from that of the original master. so let's go and put our hands in the cookie jar, let's go and listen to what all these prints sound like. By the way: as I always do in these cases I washed each disc with my ultrasonic machine with the intensive program. I washed both the used ones and the new mo-fi one and before each recording I cleaned the stylus with the app

ropriate brush. I connected the turntable to the sound card and this to the Mac, recording the various songs via Audacity. what you will hear is what was recorded by the sound card without any post-production intervention. what you will hear also depends on your setup so I recommend wearing your reference headphones. the audio files are short and close together as usual to try to better capture the possible differences. [Music] It is likely that with the few seconds available it is not possible

to evaluate all the nuances, but for this reason I am the one who listened to them repeatedly on headphones after listening in the room through speakers. will there be other prints, perhaps Japanese ones, that sound better than the mo-fi one? Probably... But it must also be said that Japanese prints are not for everyone both in terms of availability and cost and instead we must evaluate and compare mo-fi prints with those that everyone can find today in any physical and online store. of all the

copies in my possession mo-fi is undoubtedly the best. without any doubt. it is extremely silent, precise in the definition of the scene, truly superlative, but it is still a sound performance that does not justify the €130 difference with the standard reissue, the €120-125 with the always standard reissue of the fortieth anniversary, also because these details that I have just described on the sound performance can only be perceived by an attentive ear, only by direct recording of the head and

above all only by listening to short clips one after the other on repeat. If we do the same operation in ambient audio by changing the record... I stop then I put another one... I start again... our brain is not able to store that data and remember in a sincere and honest way which record sounds best , unless it's truly abysmal differences, but that's not the case with any of these prints. specifically for Thriller it's not worth the 13e0 difference also because the artwork, although nice, isn't

frighteningly rich in extras. In fact, there's nothing extra at all, which is what happens in the Ultradisc 1 Step edition of "Pearl" by Janis Joplin. it is not worth the €130 difference because the process that leads to vinyl is not done entirely in the analogue domain which, as we know, requires higher processing costs than digital and this is one of the reasons with which the most enthusiastic and wealthy audiophiles justified the cost of these publications. once you understand that it is no

t entirely analogue, but there is also a digital process which can therefore be repeated infinitely... why such a high price? mo-fi has not lowered its prices. then oh well, in reality to be precise down to the last minute it wouldn't be €130 difference, but 80 because this on the mo-fi store it costs $100 and the traditional reprint can be found for just over $20 almost everywhere. but if you add shipping and customs costs, guess how much we get? we arrive more or less at $130 difference, €130

difference between the standard reissue and the m-ofi reissue. a moment! when I bought it, because it 's now €187 on Amazon. So at the end of the fair, especially after all the tests carried out... Of course it is a top audio performance which however reiterates the concept that I threw out there for fun at the beginning, that is that these are reissues for the rich or for ultra fans of a specific record or artist. And sure, they are reference editions, but for those who have the money and/or fo

r those who are collectors to the core. they are not in an absolute sense. or at least, if we say this - which fits - we must always reiterate that even a standard reprint is fine, at least in the case of Thriller. because those who listen to us or those who read us must never have the feeling of owning a lame version of a work and I repeat, this print is not about being satisfied; this is something more, moreover with a higher price than it should have and which for me in light of the facts and

what we have ascertained should not exceed $59. putting aside the Super Top mo-fi reprint for a moment, how do I judge the other prints? they are really excellent, all of them. there are those who will prefer the first printing and the 2015 reprint because they are very similar and brighter than the fortieth anniversary reprint and the mo-fi one which are certainly cleaner, more defined and but precisely by virtue of greater cleanliness they sacrifice something in terms of brilliance. and here

too, if you follow me, you will know that I tend to prefer scenes that are more defined than loud, so my preference is for the fortieth anniversary reprint, but many others will think the exact opposite and that's fine, especially when the average level of each print examined is however very high you will be spoiled for choice. having ascertained this I want to close with a detail... a question that makes my brain explode , because in all the mo-fi chaos, in addition to the shameless incorrectne

ss of mo-fi - rightly sanctioned - it seems even crazier to me those who have purchased for years their expensive albums singing their praises and bragging about being a true audiophile, now that same audiophile says it's rubbish just because there's a digital switch. and be careful: he says this not because he feels betrayed - which could well be the case - but because there is a digital transition. Ah, we're not on Jokes Apart, eh? and isn't it filthy? Ok, it's enough to know... and then I say

, or rather I repeat, my opinion: as always in these cases we must judge by the actual quality of the publication and not by the Triple A we see on the back or on the sticker etc. etc. also because mo-fi teaches that what the various labels tell us or do not tell us does not always correspond to the truth. because then there are entirely analog reissues that are inferior to hybrid reissues. in short, this audiophile vinyl thing is getting a little out of hand because it's often just a stylistic-

semantic formula used to fill one's mouth and the obsession with the triple A sometimes seems to me to be just an obsession and that's more than a sincere and dispassionate love for the music. Oh I went to pick up a couple of these... like many of you I come from the cassette world and when I listened to Litfiba, Nirvana, U2, Queen cassettes ... I certainly didn't notice the hiss of the tape. I was interested in the emotions that music could give me. This is not to say that it is not sacrosanct,

as we mature as listeners, to search for the best possible version of a record we love, but it must not become an obsession. and then we must be aware that if we say this - that an audiophile reissue is the only way to really listen to vinyl - we are cutting out all those younger and less experienced enthusiasts who would not be able to understand the differences and/or do not have adequate equipment to make the most of them. thriller it is a timeless masterpiece and if the mo-fi reissue sounds

like God, this masterpiece can be appreciated very well in its standard reissue for just over €20 or even less when it is on offer. see you soon and happy listening ;) [Music]