Renowned for its commitment to uncompromising quality and preserving the artist’s original intent, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab makes the world’s best-sounding vinyl LPs and Super Audio CDs (SACD). Fiercely independent since 1977, the record label pioneered the concept of audiophile reissues. It has released the definitive versions of many of the greatest albums in history — a practice that continues amid a growing catalog that encompasses more than 600 releases.
Recognizing the importance of the music and the need to get every last detail right, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab performs the delicate roles of archival curator and historic preservationist. It goes straight to the source and remasters from the original master tapes in every instance they are available. That hallmark — along with a horizontal Original Master Recording or Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab stripe on the front and numbered-edition stamp on the back covers of its packages — has helped make Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab respected and recognized around the globe.
Prized by collectors, audiophiles, and everyday fans, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab’s vinyl LP and SACD releases feature extraordinary sonics and premium packaging. Seminal recordings by Miles Davis; Allman Brothers Band; Joni Mitchell; Frank Sinatra; Bob Dylan; Ray Charles; The Beatles; Rolling Stones; Elvis Presley; Dire Straits; Santana; Janis Joplin; Grateful Dead; Carole King; The Band; Bob Marley; Guns N’ Roses; Run-D.M.C.; Johnny Cash; Simon and Garfunkel; Eric Clapton; The Cars; Elvis Costello; Paul Simon; Whitney Houston; Billy Joel; Bill Withers; James Taylor; Pixies; Lou Reed; Stevie Ray Vaughan; Muddy Waters; Weezer; and many other legends have been restored and released by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab. Van Halen, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, and Michael Jackson are among the latest icons to trust the label with their timeless works.
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab’s uniqueness extends to its incessant efforts to push the limits of sound technology and reproduce music in the finest fidelity. To achieve its goal of bringing listeners as close as possible to their favorite artists and albums — enhancing the emotional connection between fan and artist — the label established its own mastering studio. Staffed by industry-leading engineers and home to proprietary equipment, the California-based facility allows Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab to execute every step of the cutting process in-house and ensure that no coloration, deterioration, or other artifacts are added to the final product.
The studio is also home to two of the three Tim de Paravicini-designed tape reproducer electronics-machines in existence — as well as a state-of-the-art cutting system also devised by the late, renowned audio engineer. The mechanisms’ extensive bandwidth means Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab engineers can extract abundant information and often-undetected nuances from the original recording. Critical elements like secondary harmonics, microtones, and low-frequency depth — aspects that make music sound lifelike, vibrant, dynamic, present — are audible on Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab reissues because of such inimitable processes and equipment.
As one of the few labels that invests in the research and development of audio technology, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab has spearheaded precedent-setting innovations — from proprietary software developments such as the Original Master Recording (OMR) LP, Ultra High Quality Record (UHQR), 24-karat gold-plated UltraDisc CD, and UltraDisc UHR SACD to UltraDisc One-Step (UD1S) vinyl and MoFi SuperVinyl. Today, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab makes 180g LPs, UD1S vinyl box sets, and hybrid SACDs. Its vinyl is currently pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, a sister company in Oxnard, California. Jackets for its vinyl releases are made by Stoughton.
You might be wondering: Why go to such extreme lengths no other label pursues? Why spend weeks instead of a single day mastering an album? Wouldn’t doing a hands-off transfer of a late-generation copy be faster, simpler, and cheaper? Certainly. But taking shortcuts wouldn’t serve the art, the artists who created it, or you, the listener. Quality, stewardship, and integrity are paramount to Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab. By maintaining uncompromising standards, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab preserves the artist’s original intent, presents music in the best sound possible, and brings you closer to what you love. Doing anything less is not an option.