Mr. Make Believe
Premium Member
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2009
- Messages
- 497
- Points
- 63
@michaeljackson.nlI have no idea what the difference is, tbh. Probably that this release is not on ultra disc vinyl or whatever they are calling it.
So Mofi has three product lines:
- the silver series;
- the original master recording
- the UltraDisc One-Step
The biggest value Mofi adds to their releases is the mastering of their products. They sound different. They have a more Audiophile approach of mastering. It's not necessarily better than the original masters in Michael's case, since the original releases already sound excellent, but if you like transparency, detail, dynamic range and a bit more of a analytical approach to the albums Mofi wil not disappoint. You do need a decent system to really enjoy the difference though.
Now there are releases out there from other artists were the Mofi releases are really worth getting since the original releases don't sound that great and the Mofis do. But that's not the case with Mike. The Originals sound great as they are.
To be honest, the Mofi approach, is not Michael's approach. Michael wanted to make more of a dance impact than these masters offer, but I love the Mofi approach. Michael's songs are pieces of art. A lot of his songs built up, adding al these little details and layers and it's so much more advanced than most pop music, especially modern pop music. So presenting all these details in their full colours is something I love and Mofi really pulls these into full view. Personally I believe the Mofi releases Thriller and Off the Wall are the best sounding versions of these albums out there.
Sorry for the long intro

The original master recordings are the releases that have the Mofi remastering from, as the product name suggests, the original master tapes. So for all MJJ Mofi releases until this date Sony gave Mofi access to the original tapes. Dangerous wil be released as a original master recording release. They get the Mofi remaster approach and are then pressed on high quality 180 gramm vinyl in a standard way. They are produced in the same way most vinyls out there are.
The highest quality Mofi delivers is with their UltraDisc One-Step releases. Same mastering, different production. With the more standard production process extra steps are added in the process to make the production of large production numbers possible. With the One-Step these different production steps are removed from the process to create a vinyl that is as close to the original master as possible. The theory is that with each step in the production process, the quality degrade. Less steps means better sound. I believe these releases are also pressed on higher quality vinyl and the quality control is more advanced. This comes with a price tag. The One-Step are extremely expensive. Especially in Europe where they are sold for around € 170,00. 125 USD in the States.
Although theoretically the One-Step approach might be a thing I believe, as with a lot of things in the Audiophile realm, it's snake oil. I don't believe the human ear can hear the difference a €20.000,00 cable measures and the same goes for the One-Step proces.
Now if you have a look at the SACD releases from Mofi, there is only the original master recordings since the One-Step only has to do with the production of vinyls, which isn't a thing when producing CDs.
So sound wise I'm really happy with the announcement. The OCD in me just would love to have all MJJ Mofi Releases in the same jacket. Which apparently unfortunately is not happening.
So in short: Dangerous wil sound great and is based on the same mastering technique as Thriller and Off the Wall sourced from the original master. It will be pressed in a different way on a bit cheaper, but still very high quality vinyl and housed in a different sleeve. The SACD wil be the same.
Last edited: