Audiophile Vinyl

AUDIOPHILE VINYL

Len Wallis Audio carries a range

of audiophile vinyl sourced from three manufacturers. We try to keep our selection up-to-date on our website, but if there is something special that you are interested in that isn’t there, it would pay to call us.

Mobile Fidelity

Priced from $69 to $299 depending on the technology deployed.

The undisputed leader in audiophile recordings, Mobile Fidelity has been producing audiophile vinyl since 1977. The label concentrates on re-releases of classic albums from the past and also specialises in releasing their albums in a variety of different versions.

Firstly, Mobile Fidelity (MoFi) only use fi rst-generation original master recordings as source material for their releases. These master tapes are played back at half-speed and the lacquers are cut with a proprietary cutting system called GAIN2 Ultra Analogue.

Many MoFi recordings are pressed not on ordinary vinyl, but on ‘SuperVinyl’, a proprietary compound the company developed to address two specifi c areas of improvement, noise fl oor reduction and enhanced groove defi nition. Irrespective of the particular vinyl compound used, all recordings are released on 180g weight vinyl.

Depending on the release, MoFi recordings can either be traditional 33.33 rpm pressings or 45 rpm pressings. In the latter case, this means that one album would be spread over two 45 rpm LPs. The highest (and most expensive) technology employed by Mofi is called Ultradisc One Step, a process which eliminates two stages of the manufacturing process.

All Mobile Fidelity LPs are limited runs, and each one comes with its own special ‘Limited Edition’ number. This is as good as vinyl gets!

Chasing the Dragon

This UK-based label is owned by producer/ recording engineer Mike Valentine and offers a range of audiophile LPs including a number of Direct Cut LPs. This label includes classical, jazz and folk genres. If you need a recommendation for a good place to start listening to the quality of the performances recorded by Mike Valentine, and the superior sound quality, we would recommend you listen to the John Lenehan recording of two of Beethoven’s best-loved piano sonatas: the ‘Pathétique’ (No. 8 in C minor, Op.13) and the ‘Moonlight’ (No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27). Superb! Priced from $95

Inakustik

This German manufacturer of quality cables also has a large collection of excellent vinyl in their catalogue. In fact they are so adept at producing high-quality recordings that many manufacturers of high-end audio components, such as Elac, Thorens and Burmester, commission Inakustik to put together reference recordings for them.

Inakustik’s catalogue is vast and covers all genres, and we carry what we consider to be a highlights pack.