Pink Floyd – The Dark Side Of The Moon

FYI: When engaged in small talk, always fit collecting records into the conversation. Was talking to some guy at my son's soccer game. He says: "I've got some records in the garage, you're welcome to them if you want." I told him I'd take him up on it and went over expecting a bunch of Perry Como and Lawrence Welk, as that is what usually happens. Not this day. 2nd record in the dusty milk crate was this Mofi Dark Side - shining like a new dime and looking UNPLAYED and did I mention it was free? THANK YOU VERY MUCH! :)

This is probably the best treasure chest I’ve ever found in my journey of searching for audiophile gold, I got a VG copy for $30 at reckless Chicago. This is a phenomenal pressing, but this is a lot of damn money. If you have the money to buy this pressing, then you might as will save up to buy a better pressing in general. This is a phenomenal pressing but for the cost there are better ones out there.
Compared to the 50th anniversary pressing this is so much better. But the 50th is very clean.

This record sounds ridiculous good, easily in the top 4 sounding pressings of this gem. Nothing to criticize!

This album has original material inside,mobile fidelity sound lab questionaire,and pressing list

Life changing. Phenomenal soundstage, amazing vocal clarity and punchy bass on this pressing. I’m speechless. DEAD Silent surface noise. This pressing is outstanding. Compared to the original 73’ UK pressing it holds its own. You can feel Every - Single - String.

Elaboration edit: With a pair of ‘younger’ (I say that lightly) Operator’s Ears and spun on a VPI running a Ortofon Black complimented by a BeoLab28 Theatre in a purpose built Listening Room; this pressing felt the best balanced compared to the Reels of DSOTM (played in a studio). The Japanese pressing, as with many others carried reverberations too deeply, often causing slight distractions during the deeper trance portions of the album with this system. Emphasis on ‘this system’ ; it is not the best - and it is not the worst. Down to personal preference really.

If you want a phenomenal PUNCHY well balanced pressing, at a great price? This is the go to pressing.

ほんとにすごいですね。全くすごいですね！

A very good pressing but not one of THE best (IMHO).
I find it lacks the bottom end. Especially lacking is punchiness; especially on the beginning to "Time".
However, it does have excellent clarity and upper range.
The pressing is dead quiet, but it just feels that it's being held back.

Note: I'm comparing it to the '74 Japanese / EMI & '75 US pressing

Granted everyone's listening experience (and ears) are different.

Please see this forum for a more than in-depth review of which pressings are better than others:
https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/best-vinyl-dark-side-of-the-moon.96168/

Most people cannot afford a 1st UK pressing nor want to go down that rabbit hole. In that, how does this pressing and mastering by JVC compare to the two other popular masters Kevin Gray and Bernie Grundman? If you had to rank these three best to worst...

I got this for $20 from a dude that was selling records on Kijiji - it’s like a Canadian Craigslist... He claimed it was in “mint shape!”, so I drove 25 minutes to pick it up. I get there and he pulls it out of the jacket to show me how mint it was, and to my horror there was no protective inner sleeve! I’m nervously standing there watching him put his fingers directly on the vinyl surface while he yanks it from its cardboard-laced tomb. I could hear it scraping the coarse sides on the way out. The album had a ton of light scuffs, but nothing too deep.
The dude was super proud of it, like it was a grade school project his kid made or something.

I’ve played it about a dozen times now, and it sounds phenomenal! Two songs have an audible clicking for about 3 revolutions or five seconds, the rest sounds pretty spectacular.

I wish I had the inserts. Dude probably lined a cat box with em…

Best $20 I’ve ever spent!

The best version of this record so far imo. Everything is clear and the mix is nearly perfect. I still have to compare it the uhqr though! For the price, I would recommend this version over the 50th anniversary.

Now being able to compare the releases I have including this one on my own system its time to take a closer look at the differences.
The most apparent qualities of the MoFi is its smoothness and depth. It goes beyond any other release Ive heard and really gives you the impression that this is what Pink Floyd wanted you to hear. It is by no means fuzzy however and gives great clarity with the right playback system. The shortcomings of the 2016 remaster are now more apparent than before being harsher and less deep. But the strength in that comes in giving a more present performance on the remaster while the MoFi is left more whimsical. I miss the in your face vocals of Time and even The Great Gig, if only slightly.
But even more so I miss the bass. The Mofi does deliver bass but on its own in limited doses while the 2016 cut dumps my oh so needed craving of a tight earthquake in masses. It again circles around to the balanced nature of the Grundman remaster where even the lowest of low end mucks can be heard, felt and appreciated.
But despite their differences the 2 are still sort of similar in delivery, just with these few but character defining traits. Both are cut about equally as quiet, demanding you to crank the volume knob. The advantage then shows in the MoFi as the vinyl is extremely quiet, almost as dead silent and void creating as my Japanese Pro Use copy, but thats just because the Pro Use doesnt need to be played nearly as loud. Its only really noticeable at the start and end of songs on the 2016 issue but still a very real difference.
Grundmans cut stands as the well rounded and enjoyable alternative for anyone short on money and time, just inheriting a slight harshness and lack of reverb.
The one Id give my nod to however is the MoFi for its impressive realism and smooth delivery. Despite the few shortcomings it probably has the best sounding version of Money that genuinely made me go "Holy shit..." and its the one I say is the essential AAA version for every Pink Floyd fan to own.
If the MoFi rectified its slight slouching on bass plus vocal presence and punch it would easily rise to the top right away!

Current ranking:
1. MoFi's Side 2 (This)
2. UK Original A3/B3 Overall Best
3. 2016 Grundman Cut
?. MoFi UHQR
?. 30th Anniversary