The Cars – Candy-O

It's fascinating to dive into the reviews surrounding this release. To claim that the sound quality doesn’t hold a candle to the MoFi version is simply an overstatement. This pressing sounds excellent, just as the MoFi and the original pressing do.

What often plays a significant role in these discussions is personal preference and the systems used for listening. Individual setups and tastes can heavily influence perceptions. For instance, I’ve noticed that the highs on the MoFi UltraDisc versions of "Hotel California" and "Van Halen" can feel a bit too pronounced for my liking, but I know others who appreciate that very quality. It wasn’t until I tried listening on different systems that I realized it was more about my setup than the recordings themselves.

If you're on the fence about this record, take a look at the from the 150 or so reviewers who have rated it an impressive average of 4.75. Their collective insights suggest that this release is definitely worth your consideration!

This sounds fantastic, and is also one of the quietest records I've ever bought.

I'm willing to bet a lot of people bought this one assuming it would be the best because "High Fidelity" and Kevin Gray (and as a result said "this is the best" and called it a day) but this release was a screw-up. Yes it sounds good but far from the best.

Revisited this one again after a few months and compared with the OG. It’s not even a competition how much better the OG sounds. This RHF pressing is overhyped detail-boosted nonsense. Don’t waste your time. Read the comment below this one for another example of someone hearing the same issues.

A little more specifically, this sounds like a "Hi-Fi-ed" release. It lacks the body and energy of the original pressing. The guitars are there, but don't scream out at you. Instead of being raw and in your face, the music sounds smooth and reserved. Not the way this album is supposed to sound at all. Another huge difference is the kick drum. On the original, the kicks are super punchy and present. Here, you can hear them but they're just background details and don't drive the music nearly as much as on the original.

That's how most of the album sounds. Once you get to Dangerous Type, it all switches up. The song sounds a bit muffled on the new RHF compared to the original. The synths don't scream out like they do on the original.

Not that impressed. This was very hyped up… where do I even start. First of all the line between it playing too quiet & too loud is razor thin. Constantly adjusting the master dial on my amplifier. Neutered in the mid range in the first 3 songs of side one. Double life sounds great, but then the “shoo be doo”, the song that’s supposed to kick the album off into the dance record that it becomes drops by 10db & that carries into “Candy-O”. It’s a giant buzz kill. So disengaging. Original press has me racing across the room to flip the LP for side 2, starting with “Night Spots”. Not with this remaster though. Already these recordings lacked mid range. I was expecting that part to be bolstered, but instead all the attention was focused on the highs & sure… there’s great clarity & separation. You hear it all in the upper end. But this is a dance album… I don’t know. Not for me.

Edit: Just to lower to 2 stars. Horrible remaster. Original pressing beats this remaster by a long shot. This thing is a mess

No words to describe how good this sounds. This series has taken over Analogue Productions as my favorite. As good or better without having to flip the record over 4 times. Much better pricing!

A really dang good album for sonics. No question, it's remasters near perfectly.

Having put mine through the usual Degritter deep clean ritual and listened a few times, yet again ive bought a record where i end up forming an opinion some way off the wild hyperbole of others here.

Yes.... this DOES have positives. In some respects its probably the clearest this record has ever sounded. But walking all over a massively inferior Mofi edition?? Noooooo noooooo noooooo. In fact on my system, it loses - where it really matters - to said Mofi on almost all fronts.

They predominantly have a similar tonal balance and both of them respect the original recording, id say its more a case of subtleties of difference than night and days. The Mofi is definately cut a couple of db lower and thats not debatable. The Rhino is thus hotter but only truly notably so towards the end of each side. For example, the synths on the left channel at the end of Dangerous Type are cleaner, smoother and richer and thus more natural on the Mofi. They dont fall apart on the Rhino but they do distort abit by comparison and all this is using my microline AT cart which is my best needle.... with my elliptical Shure of olde they both suffer with IGD but again the Rhino suffers most and its not nice once heard. Theres just a bit more overall smoothness to the Mofi which is more and more noticable as the sides close and to my ears and brain its much more pleasant even though theres seemingly little in it. The vinyl compound background is blacker with the Mofi too despite the lower volume and this allows it to sound abit more dynamic once level matched...ime RTI do tend to outpress Optimal in most instances especially post Covid and the overwhelming demand from todays naff pop stars on plants like Optimal and GZ's. Anyway, these are subtleties again but they are noticable and leave me clearly preferring one to the other. Thus when added all up, theres not one aspect of the listening with the Rhino that i feel is better than the Mofi bar the fact i dont need to use as much gain. Another factor to consider.... that all this is done via a listen through my preferred AT Microline cart which has a lighter, somewhat delicate and very neutral clean tonal balance than all other carts ive owned. Played though my olde smoothy - the Shure M75 type 2 - it could be argued that the hotter and slightly more upfront Rhino might be balanced better (save the end of sides and those synth distortions). If i had say a modern Shure-esque cart like a new Sumiko or Nagaoka the Rhino may again come across better. But i need as little IGD as possible having grown tired of it and so for now its the Mofi i will prefer to listen to. If i ever get the Hana SL i lust after, it would make for another interesting comparison as i do feel Mocroline carts while clean as can be, have little romance to them and demand a little more of me to engage with my music

Where they do clearly differ is in the packaging. Its just superior with the Rhino what with its gatefold and notes. The Mofi is equally high of quality at least but offers less.

So yeah, to me with my ears and my system as it is theres not a huge difference but just with small taste preferences that makes the Mofi my current goto. No hyperbole required folks!!

NB: I can confirm through having two Rhino Hifi copies that some are not numbered and have a different barcode sticker placed outside the shrink covering the og barcode on the Obi. Sorry if this is well known already!

this video has a pretty useful comparison, of course system-dependent caveat yada-yada, but might help some folks decide
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z94hiDEJciM

One of the best sounding albums in my collection! I can’t tell you how good this is! Unreal! No wonder Mike Esposito from the in groove has added this to his top 100 analogue records in print list!

Phenomenal! I compared with my MoFi Candy-O and I have to say that this one beats it. They both sound good, but this one is a little more detailed and lively. I almost didn't get this because the MoFi does sound really good, but I'm glad I picked it up. I also have to mention that the Rhino cover is nicer than the MoFi. The front image on the MoFi looks washed out on comparison. I'm really loving this series. Hopefully, they get into some 90's and 00's titles.