MOFI vs. OG: Bill Withers' Greatest Hits Vinyl Shootout

#mofi #vinylcommunity #billwithers
This outstanding Greatest Hits LP, released in 1981, represents the culmination of a soulful career across both the Sussex and Columbia record labels. This release was on Columbia Records.
In 2016, MOFI released this album on 180gram vinyl and was mastered from the original master tapes on THE GAIN 2 ULTRA ANALOG SYSTEM™
MASTERING CHAIN
"Just the Two of Us," "Soul Shadows" - 1/4" / 15 IPS / Dolby A analog copy to DSD 64 to analog console to lathe
"Use Me," "Lean on Me": 1/4" / 15 IPS analog copy to DSD 64 to analog console to lathe
"Ain't No Sunshine," "Grandma's Hands": 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 64 to analog console to lathe
"Lovely Day," "I Want to Spend the Night," "Hello Like Before": 1/4" / 15 IPS / Dolby A analog master to DSD 64 to analog console to lathe
"Who Is He (And What Is He to You)?": 1/4" / 15 IPS analog copy to DSD 64 to analog console to lathe

[@automatedelectronics6062]

If you want to compare an original 1981 Columbia pressing to the much later Mofi release, you should compare the Columbia Santa Maria pressing to the Mofi. Why? CSM was using high quality virgin vinyl before anyone was thinking about virgin vinyl and most other pressing plants were using recycled vinyl. I think that the CSM pressing may even have a higher definition pressing. I believe that the CSM pressings are marked "S1".

[@juliosanchez95]

This guy gives such an informative review. Unlike fools like 45 RPM Michael, who just says punchy, musicality and iconic a million times.

[@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion]

Thanks for your kind comments!

[@DC-xx4kv]

Nice to come across something that isn’t MoFi bashing. Good for you. There are some who have notably if not magically decided they no longer like the way their MoFi records sound since the reveal. ☮️

[@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion]

Yes that has happened in some cases and while I cut MOFI zero slack for their sins of omission and transparency, they do make some great sounding records. Not all of them are gems, but they get more right than wrong regardless of the mastering process. A great mastering job and delivery on vinyl is like a great meal. It delights our auditory senses!

[@FleagleSangria]

Great comparison video David! Detailed and explaining the terminology being used. Thank you sir!

[@spencehayashi2772]

Another fine comparison review David. I have my copy of the Mofi coming and have loved Bill Withers' music. Cannot wait to put this on the turntable. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and analysis.

[@theheepster]

Brilliant shootout. I'm not an audiophile, but here i agree 100% the MOFI is the better sounding record. The OG is also a good sounding Record, but overall the MOFI catch me more.

[@kguy2know]

I love when you do these.

[@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion]

Thanks so much!

[@LifelongMusicJunkie]

Hi David. I've been meaning to ask the Hoffman forums about this but on my recent Mofi repress of the Bill Withers Greatest Hits, during Lean on Me, at 3 occasions: 55 sec in, 1:38 in and 1:56 in, there is an audible distortion or hiccup and it does not sound like a vinyl issue but a recording issue. Does your Lean On Me play without a hitch? Thanks

[@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion]

Hey Dean. Good (bad) catch. Here is the bad news: it exists on my MOFI as well. The “good news”’is it also happens on my 1981 Columbia OG so it isn’t a MOFI issue or 40 year tape degradation issue. Now the question is whether the TRUR original release on Sussex records has the problem and it has always been there. I’m hunting that version up and will report back when I find it. It sounds like tape “dropout” (most likely tape quality).

[@LifelongMusicJunkie]

@@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion Thanks for reporting back David! At least I know I am not losing my mind and that I don't have a defective one that would be sent back to Mofi for an exchange! Cheers

[@FleagleSangria]

@@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion Hey David, what do you mean by TRUR?

[@robertratliff2834]

Hello, I am a new subscriber to your channel. A very timely comparison as I should be receiving the MoFi in the next few days. It will be my first from their label. Nearly every single review I have seen has raved about this version. If it is the best sounding version of this recording, the DSD step means little to me. It is, after all, the music that matters most. Best regards, Bob Ratliff.

[@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion]

Thanks Bob and thanks for joining the channel. I have never heard a pressing of Hotel California that I thought was great. I have the Eagles Legacy box and need to open it for making comparisons. That said, the Eagles self-titled first LP One-Step was wonderful (check out my video comparison on it :). Here’s hoping you have a great audio experience on your first MOFI title.

[@rachelsghost]

A solid review/comparison, David. Nice to see MoFi has the ability to put out a quality product after all they've been through. 😎

[@nickthenail]

I appreciate your honest review. I wasn’t sure if the MoFi-gate debacle would have skewed your opinion. Thanks!

[@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion]

I calls ‘em like I hears ‘em! But I am glad you mentioned it as that is a risk for people who are tainted by MOFIs bad actions. In honesty, I do think twice about what I purchase, but that’s more true across the board :) thanks!

[@IvanMusicMan]

I just order a Mofi copy 🤗I have this record on my list a long time , now they have repressed it so I can get it for a "normal" Mofi price 🤩 Thks for the video 😍

[@BradVinylRush]

Very insightful and informative shootout David as always! I recently picked up the MoFi as well and although I don’t have the OG to compare it to, this is a very good sounding record regardless of the DSD step. The end result is what really matters and this is one of the best sounding MoFis in my ~50 record MoFi collection

[@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion]

Thanks!

[@jhix9025]

Bill's catalog is in a unique position currently. Between Mofi, Speakers Corner, VinylMePlease and Music on Vinyl, his early catalog and greatest hits are all available as "premium" options. However, if you're looking for just a cheaper "basic" version, all those titles are out of print at the local shop or big box/online retailer. I'm a big Withers fan and therefore thankful for the audiophile presentation that's recently been produced. As a fan, it also kind of saddens me that there's this big hole in the availability of his stuff. Bill's music sounds great and fully deserves the audiophile treatment, but he was certainly a man of the people. There really aught to be copies of his first three albums, Just As I Am, Still Bill, and +Justments, widely available for around $20. I just wish i saw his stuff in the bins so i could suggest it to the uninterested 20 something stranger digging next to me in the record store.

[@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion]

Glad to hear from a true fan of his work. I knew of Bill mainly through his Top 40 hits, but now seeing some of his material released on these premium labels has the chance of connecting with more listeners.

[@false_binary]

Great vid! Agreed; I had a NM OG and purchased a MoFi w/their recent reissue...shootout results same...MoFi wins. Separation & soundstage better and black hole abyss level QUIET lol

[@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion]

Thanks for sharing!

[@scottwheeler2679]

The original was cut from a compilation copy tape. The Mofi used DSD copies from tracks off of the original master tapes.

[@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion]

Yes comps can often have compromised sources so going back to OG tapes is a godsend

[@rashodlewis2918]

I bought Bill Withers greatest hits from Walmart today on Sunshine Yellow Vinyl. I haven’t listen to it yet. I like the cover art!

[@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion]

Enjoy!!! :)

[@brianlewis5042]

Good comparison. I only on the MoFi release of this album. Love the sound so I found no need to search out for an OG copy. What I am finding is the OG copies are often the better pressings. But with theses remastered/reissued copies, to me, sometimes improves upon the originals and presents the music to us though a different mastering engineer’s lens. Totally subjective.

[@robertnitsche8410]

There's no question the MOFI Bill Wither's greatest sounds wonderful. I don't have an OG to compare, but I was impressed. I think it's $40 well spent. I have discovered since Mofigate, that I have a good mix of their DSD vinyl. Some sound great, some just good, and others just "meh". Though I feel that rarely do they sound worse than an OG copy, but it happens (Love). What puzzles me the most is that many of the albums mastered at 64 DSD sound markedly better than some that are mastered at the supposedly vastly superior 256 DSD.

[@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion]

Funny you mentioned the 64DSD being superior to the 256DSD in some cases. Much of the Dylan catalog was 64DSD and sound great. As his songs are less "complex" works from a sound perspective, it could be that 256 is, in fact, oversampling TOO much. You know, paralysis of analysis :)

[@Mrch33ky]

Comparing two digitally mastered copies because why?

[@ceejaydeesoozaa]

I HAVE A JAPAN OG LP 25AP 2041 EN ROUTE

[@scottwheeler2679]

Level matching based on SPLs is not effective. Perceptual loudness is frequency dependent. I wish it were a simple matter but it isn't. DR also has a huge impact on perceptual level matching.

[@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion]

So what method is effective?

[@scottwheeler2679]

@@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion It's a PITA and can take a lot of work and is almost always imperfect. What to do depends on the nature of the differences. If there are differences in the EQ you can counter EQ one until the frequency response matches and then level match. Then revert to the original EQ settings. Check the levels from about 1khz-4khz. If they are close to the same level then do the final matching by ear. If one recording has compression at best perceptually one will be louder during the louder passages and the other louder during the quieter passages. Ultimately if the DR is different you will be stuck with that compromise in level matching. Then the real trick is to do sets of blind preference comparisons. Take whichever version is less favored and repeat the comparison with 2 db increase in level. Test again. If the same version is still favored you have found your preference. If not try bringing it back down one db. Is it a lot of work? yeah. But without doing that you can't be sure the preference isn't a function of perceptual loudness.

[@scottwheeler2679]

@@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion And I realized I didn't fully explain what the problem is with using SPLs. An SPL meter doesn't discriminate frequency. a 3 khz signal at 90 db SPL will perceptually be much much louder than a 100 hz signal at 90 db SPL. So if one version has a bump in the presence range while another has a bump in the mid bass they could measure the same on an SPL meter but perceptually one will sound much louder than the other. And those perceptual loudness relationships vary with the SPLs just to make things even more complicated. So what may perceptually match at 90 db may become a mismatch at 80 db. It is messy and complicated.