Santana - Moonflower (2 LP)
- LP
- 2 piece(s)
- 1977
- 16 tracks
- 1 uur, 26 min
MoonflowerCheapest atstore.acousticsounds.com
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4.5
Average of 24 reviews
19
4
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0
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This two-disc collection showcases some of Santana's most well-known hits. Carlos, the rock guitar virtuoso, is at his finest here. It's usually fairly priced when you find it out there. The album art is appealing, and it's a worthwhile addition to any collection that you'll enjoy.
This is an absolutely stunning sounding record. It's a classic 70s 120g Customatrix pressing, and it's got that punchy, full, and bright sound that just hits you right in the feels. The soundstage is wide open, and Carlos is just tearing it up on his Ibanez, playing like only he can. The rhythm section is pure Santana, and they bring tracks like "Black Magic Woman", "Europa", "She's Not There", and "Soul Sacrifice" to life on this Bernie Grundman mastered gem.
LET'S COMPARE: 2020 Columbia Legacy moon colored vinyl (Music On Vinyl plates/pressing) VS 2025 Mobile Fidelity reissue I've been testing these on two almost identical Audio Technica LP5X turntables, both fitted with common AT VM95E cartridges. Testing on mid-range gear makes more sense, you know? If a pressing can't perform well on equipment that most people are willing to spend money on, and it needs high-end cartridges and decks to shine, then it's not really a good pressing, is it? The phono stage I used is an all-tube Opera Consonance with dual RCA inputs and a quick switch between them. Now, I used to own the Music On Vinyl black vinyl reissue and thought it sounded quite excellent. I sold it because the 2020 moonflower-y yellow/white marbled press, which uses the MOV plates, sounded just as good to me and was quieter, so I kept the newer moonflower-y one. All the other Mofi Santana reissues I have—Caravanserai, Santana (2x45rpm), Abraxas, Love Devotion Surrender—have been my favorites and definitive. But with Moonflower, I'm really underwhelmed and disappointed by some parts of the listening experience. This one is cut LOUD and HOT, to start. The loudness seems to squash the dynamics, which I can tolerate, but my god, the presence region is too hot, too forced, too unnatural. Sure, it's got good deep and punchy bass, and it's a bit more expansive than the MOV mastering, but it's often wince-inducing. When it's not making me wince, it can be fairly settled and sound quite good. But switching back to the MOV plated vinyl is a relief... yeah, it's a couple of dB lower, but it's SO much smoother in the uppers/higher pitch vocals/trebles that it's not really a contest. The Music On Vinyl Santana reissues/masterings are very dependable and play it safe but not boring. This is the one case where I feel Mofi have dropped the ball and gone too far into the red. A shame, as I wanted to complete the set. It's also a shame because the Mofi is MUCH superior in packaging and maybe also slightly quieter in the deadwax moments! But... I can't deny my ears and tastes. I'll keep the Music On Vinyl funky-looking yellowy, white Moonflowered vinyl set and cut my losses on the Mofi.
LET'S COMPARE: 2020 Columbia Legacy moon colored vinyl (Music On Vinyl plates/pressing) VS 2025 Mobile Fidelity reissue. I've been testing these on two almost identical Audio Technica LP5X turntables, both equipped with the common AT VM95E cartridges. Testing on mid-range gear makes more sense, you know? If a pressing can't perform well on the kind of equipment most people are willing to spend money on, and it needs high-end cartridges and turntables to sound good, then it's not really a great pressing, is it? The phono stage I used is an all-tube Opera Consonance with dual RCA inputs and a quick switch between them. Now, I used to own the Music On Vinyl black vinyl reissue and thought it sounded quite excellent. I sold it because the 2020 moonflower-y yellow/white marbled press, which uses the MOV plates, sounded just as good to me and was actually quieter, so I kept the newer moonflower-y one. All the other Mofi Santana reissues I have—Caravanserai, Santana (2x45rpm), Abraxas, Love Devotion Surrender—have been my favorites and the definitive versions. But with Moonflower, I'm really underwhelmed and disappointed by some aspects of the listening experience. This one is cut LOUD and HOT, to start with. The loudness seems to flatten the dynamics, which I can tolerate, but my goodness, the presence region is too hot, too forced, too unnatural. Sure, it has good deep and punchy bass, and it's a bit more expansive than the MOV mastering, but it's often wince-inducing. When it's not making me wince, it can sound fairly settled and quite good. But switching back to the MOV-plated vinyl is a relief... yeah, it's a couple of decibels lower, but it's SO much smoother in the upper frequencies and higher-pitched vocals that it's not even a contest. The Music On Vinyl Santana reissues/masterings are very dependable and play it safe but not boring. This is the one case where I feel Mofi have dropped the ball and gone too far into the red. A shame, as I wanted to complete the set. It's also a shame because the Mofi is MUCH superior in packaging and might also be slightly quieter in the deadwax moments! But... I can't deny my ears and my tastes. I'll keep the Music On Vinyl funky-looking yellowy, white Moonflowered vinyl set and cut my losses on the Mofi.
LET'S COMPARE: 2020 Columbia Legacy moon-colored vinyl (Music On Vinyl plates/pressing) VS 2025 Mobile Fidelity reissue. I've been testing these on two almost identical Audio Technica LP5X turntables, both fitted with common AT VM95E cartridges. Testing on mid-range gear makes more sense... if a pressing can't perform well on equipment that most listeners can afford, and it needs high-end cartridges and decks to sound good, then it's not really a great pressing, right? The phono stage I used is an all-tube Opera Consonance with dual RCA inputs and a quick rocker switch for easy comparison. So... I used to own the Music On Vinyl black vinyl reissue and thought it sounded quite excellent. I sold it because the 2020 moonflower-y yellow/white marbled press, which also uses the MOV plates, sounded just as good to me and was even quieter, so I kept the newer moonflower-y one. All the other Mofi Santana reissues I have—Caravanserai, Santana (2x45rpm), Abraxas, Love Devotion Surrender—have been my favorite reissues... superb and definitive. But with Moonflower, I'm really underwhelmed and disappointed by some aspects of the listening experience. It's mastered LOUD and HOT, for one thing. The loudness seems to flatten the dynamics, which I can tolerate, but the presence region is way too hot, too forced, too unnatural. Sure, it's got good deep and punchy bass, and it's a bit more expansive than the MOV mastering, but it's often just too harsh. When it's not harsh, it can sound fairly settled and quite good. But switching back to the MOV-plated vinyl is a relief... yeah, it's a couple of decibels lower, but it's SO much smoother in the upper frequencies, higher-pitched vocals, and trebles that it's not even a contest. The Music On Vinyl Santana reissues/masterings are very dependable and play it safe but not boring. This is the one case where I feel Mofi have dropped the ball and pushed the mastering too far into the red. A shame, because I wanted to complete the set. It's also a shame because the Mofi has MUCH better packaging and is maybe slightly quieter in the deadwax areas! But... I can't deny my ears and my tastes... I'll keep the Music On Vinyl funky-looking yellow and white Moonflowered vinyl set and cut my losses on the Mofi.
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| Date | Lowest price | Average price |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2025 | $39.97 | €56.98 |
| Apr 29, 2025 | $51.99 | €51.99 |
| May 1, 2025 | $54.98 | €54.98 |
| Jun 30, 2025 | $58.98 | €58.98 |
| Jul 31, 2025 | $45.98 | €52.32 |
| Aug 30, 2025 | $45.98 | €68.31 |
| Sep 30, 2025 | $45.98 | €60.98 |
| Oct 31, 2025 | $45.98 | €60.98 |
| Nov 30, 2025 | $45.98 | €66.98 |
| Dec 31, 2025 | $45.98 | €61.73 |
| Jan 31, 2026 | $45.98 | €69.73 |
| Feb 28, 2026 | $45.98 | €67.79 |
| Mar 8, 2026 | $45.98 | €63.59 |