[????-??-??] Van Halen -- Roth-era albums by Mobile Fidelity (SACD and LP)

Dr. Chris Evil · 26 Jul 2006

No pre-order links yet.

Dr. Chris Evil · 26 Jul 2006

Looks like we're finally getting some vintage VH on SACD finally!

Quote:

Van Halen’s First Six Albums to Get Revamped Reissues
BY JACOB UITTI

Van Halen’s first six multi-platinum albums will be receiving a high-quality sound revamp by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab.

The company, which focuses on high-quality reissues, will release the work exclusively limited to 10,000 numbered copies. And each of the six-album box sets will be mastered from the original analog master tapes, pressed on “SuperVinyl.” The CD versions will be mastered from the original tapes, as well.

Those first six albums include Van Halen (1978), Van Halen II (1979), Women and Children First (1980), Fair Warning (1981), Diver Down (1982) and 1984 (1984).

Those albums can be pre-ordered here at MusicDirect.com.

“Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab is excited to release Van Halen’s first six iconic albums in the UD1S and SACD formats for the first,” said Jim Davis, president of Music Direct and Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab. “Fans will experience Van Halen’s original blend of raw power and Hollywood flair like never before through these limited-edition, audiophile-grade One-Step vinyl box sets.”

According to a press release, “Van Halen’s iconic first six albums have previously been overlooked for the UD1S and SACD treatment due to the music’s sheer excitement and raucous intensity.”

Housed in a deluxe box, each set features special foil-stamped jackets and faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendor of the recording.

Starting with Van Halen and continuing with five more hugely successful albums, the original lineup of Eddie Van Halen, David Lee Roth, Alex Van Halen, and Michael Anthony created a sound no one had ever heard before. That sound helped the group to become one of the biggest and most original bands in history.

Sadly, Eddie Van Halen, who is considered one of the best guitar players ever, passed away on October 6, 2020. He was 65 years old.

alantig · 20 Sep 2006

I did not need to know about this.

JohnG · 03 Aug 2006

I had mentioned these upcoming Van Halen remasters in SACD in the VH thread and I pre-ordered them a year ago. I called Music Direct and they say that we should see them in the Fall of 2023. It’s been whisper quiet on the progress of this production.

I’m still an SACD guy so I’m looking forward to them, I know in general SACD has fallen out of favor especially in a streaming world. I do have to give credit to Apple Music and Amazon Music as most of the stuff they stream has been upgraded to Dolby Atmos and Lossless sound.

Dr. Chris Evil · 26 Jul 2006

alantig wrote:

I did not need to know about this.

If I hear the SACDs sound good, I may pull the trigger on these.

All my Roth era stuff are the 2000 remasters, which sound fine. Didn't feel the need to replace them with the 2015 CD remasters.

I do hope VH opens up their vault someday, but until then, high-res is cool and I do hope that we get some Sam Halen remasters someday because that part of the catalog -- well, 5150 and OU812, at any rate -- needs a sonic upgrade.

alantig · 20 Sep 2006

Dr. Chris Evil wrote:

alantig wrote:

I did not need to know about this.

If I hear the SACDs sound good, I may pull the trigger on these.

All my Roth era stuff are the 2000 remasters, which sound fine. Didn't feel the need to replace them with the 2015 CD remasters.

I do hope VH opens up their vault someday, but until then, high-res is cool and I do hope that we get some Sam Halen remasters someday because that part of the catalog -- well, 5150 and OU812, at any rate -- needs a sonic upgrade.

No idea about hi-res, but the Sammy era stuff is supposed to start tom'w w/the RSD release of "Right Here, Right Now".

JosephC · **Joined:** 27 Jan 2011 **Posts:** 2646

If they do a flat transfer from the DSD used to create the One-Steps, and there is a good chance that will happen, then these SACDs will blow away any CD version that exists.

I pre-ordered these on January 10, 2022 and am pretty disappointed they haven't been released yet.

Jason Michael · 30 May 2012

JosephC wrote:

I pre-ordered these on January 10, 2022 and am pretty disappointed they haven't been released yet.

Did you order direct from MoFi? If so, do they take payment at time of order or shipping?

JosephC · **Joined:** 27 Jan 2011 **Posts:** 2646

Jason Michael wrote:

JosephC wrote:

I pre-ordered these on January 10, 2022 and am pretty disappointed they haven't been released yet.

Did you order direct from MoFi? If so, do they take payment at time of order or shipping?

I ordered from Music Direct. I'm not sure if they are technically the same company as Mobile Fidelity, but Music Direct and Mobile Fidelity have the same owners.

I have not been charged. They charge when pre-order items are shipped.

Geff R. · 27 Sep 2006

There was a very nice 192/24 complete set issued in 2015 called the Collection. Likely higher quality than current MFSL SACD's (I don't like the MSFL digital "House Sound"). It appears to be out of print. All the single albums are available for legal download in high-res.

JosephC · **Joined:** 27 Jan 2011 **Posts:** 2646

Hey John, did you get an e-mail from Music Direct about these? I got one on Friday, asking me if I still wanted them and to confirm my shipping address and payment method. No sense in having people confirm this info if they will not be ready to ship for another 6 months...so it seems like we should be getting these in the near future.

Looking forward to listening to this one in particular-

JohnG · 03 Aug 2006

Yes I did.

JosephC · **Joined:** 27 Jan 2011 **Posts:** 2646

First album is now out on SACD. Got my copy in the mail today. Van Halen II should ship in March (hopefully, they mean March of 2024).

Dr. Chris Evil · 26 Jul 2006

I know someone who bought the ultra expensive "One step" LP of the first album and he says it's the best it ever sounded.

JohnG · 03 Aug 2006

Got mine too about 2 weeks ago #2990. Kinda a high number considering I was one of the first to order this as mentioned in the VH thread back on January 9th 2022. Cool to see some SACD’s are still made.

Dr. Chris Evil · 26 Jul 2006

JohnG wrote:

Got mine too about 2 weeks ago #2990. Kinda a high number considering I was one of the first to order this as mentioned in the VH thread back on January 9th 2022. Cool to see some SACD’s are still made.

Curious as to your thoughts on the sound quality. I'm presuming you ordered the one step album?

JohnG · 03 Aug 2006

Dr. Chris Evil wrote:

JohnG wrote:

Got mine too about 2 weeks ago #2990. Kinda a high number considering I was one of the first to order this as mentioned in the VH thread back on January 9th 2022. Cool to see some SACD’s are still made.

Curious as to your thoughts on the sound quality. I'm presuming you ordered the one step album?

No I only bought the SACD, I don’t play vinyl anymore, not in years.

Dr. Chris Evil · 26 Jul 2006

JohnG wrote:

Dr. Chris Evil wrote:

JohnG wrote:

Got mine too about 2 weeks ago #2990. Kinda a high number considering I was one of the first to order this as mentioned in the VH thread back on January 9th 2022. Cool to see some SACD’s are still made.

Curious as to your thoughts on the sound quality. I'm presuming you ordered the one step album?

No I only bought the SACD, I don’t play vinyl anymore, not in years.

How does the SACD sound?

JohnG · 03 Aug 2006

Quote:

Status
1684476 1 CMFSA2247 Van Halen - Diver Down (Numbered Hybrid SACD) Preorder
1684476 1 CMFSA2244 Van Halen - Van Halen II (Numbered Hybrid SACD) Preorder
1684476 1 CMFSA2246 Van Halen - Fair Warning (Numbered Hybrid SACD) Preorder
1684476 1 CMFSA2245 Van Halen - Women and Children First (Numbered Hybrid SACD) Preorder

Got an update today and the Van Halen SACDs are still on preorder. Man it is taking a lot of time to manufacture these discs.

They say:

Quote:

Due to unprecedented demand and prior supply-chain issues, the vinyl industry continues to experience an extensive pressing backlog; therefore Music Direct reserves the right to cancel a backorder that is more than 6 months old.
Please note, that is not applicable to preordered titles.

So luckily I am not holding my breath.

JosephC · **Joined:** 27 Jan 2011 **Posts:** 2646

Dr. Chris Evil wrote:

JohnG wrote:

Dr. Chris Evil wrote:

JohnG wrote:

Got mine too about 2 weeks ago #2990. Kinda a high number considering I was one of the first to order this as mentioned in the VH thread back on January 9th 2022. Cool to see some SACD’s are still made.

Curious as to your thoughts on the sound quality. I'm presuming you ordered the one step album?

No I only bought the SACD, I don’t play vinyl anymore, not in years.

How does the SACD sound?

Sorry for the late reply, but I think the sound of the SACD is excellent. I can't compare it to any remaster, as I only have the original CD issue in my collection. The SACD is a significant upgrade from that.

JohnG, I got the same e-mail. I interpreted the supply chain issue sentence as something that they likely just throw into all their backorder e-mails. I am growing impatient for Van Halen II. Right when Van Halen came out, I'm pretty sure I read or was told by someone at Music Direct that they were aiming for a March 2024 release date for Van Halen II, so hopefully we will hear something soon.

JosephC · **Joined:** 27 Jan 2011 **Posts:** 2646

Van Halen II SACD now shipping.

JosephC · **Joined:** 27 Jan 2011 **Posts:** 2646

Listened to Van Halen II last night.

I'm not sure if there is a slight flaw in the pressing/mastering or if it's just some odd thing with the disc and my player. When having the disc stopped and pressing play to start track 1, there is an initial odd "thump" immediately...before it gets into Michael Anthony's bass intro. It almost sounds like a needle being dropped on a record. However, if I'm a few seconds into track one and hit the skip button to go back to the beginning of the song, I don't hear it. IMO, this didn't impact my enjoyment of the disc whatsoever as it occurs before You're No Good starts.

I did do a quick A/B versus the original USA Warner Bros. pressing, and the SACD is far, far better to my ears.

[????-??-??] Van Halen -- Roth-era albums by Mobile Fidelity (SACD and LP)

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