Is "Mastered for iTunes" really worth it?

[KingsGene]

Just saw this today via the Rush Facebook:
"The entire RUSH catalog is now available as part of the Mastered For iTunes (MFiT) series with increased audio fidelity. Specially remastered for iTunes all albums are available in two bundles, individual full albums or single tracks. Bundles are currently only available in Canada and the US.
http://www.itunes.com/rush/"

So, do I now want to seriously consider these purchases? Is it really going to make a difference in the sound compared to if I rip these myself from the audio CD's? Just what the heck is "Mastered for iTunes" anways?

Here's the official description via Apple:
http://images.apple.com/itunes/mastered-for-itunes/docs/mastered_for_itunes.pdf

Here's some interesting articles:
What 'Mastered For iTunes' Really Means
Does “Mastered for iTunes” matter to music? Ars puts it to the test

Thoughts?

 

[TychoCelchu]

Not to directly address your question, but if you already own the CDs and are happy with them, why buy any other version? Maybe buying the vinyls, sure, but I don't see a need to own more than one digital version. "Mastered for itunes" is still not quite as good as the CD.

 

[KingsGene]

Because if you're a complete fanboy and there's the slightest hope that there might be a "better" version available, you're possibly tempted to check it out....maybe...?

 

[AeonicSlumber]

No, because either way you look at it it's a digital product that was recorded and mixed digitally, mastered digitally, and then compressed by iTunes either way.

Nothing wrong with buying music from iTunes. I do it all the time. Just did it yesterday as a matter of fact. But, if you're an "audiophile", stick with physical formats or digital services that offer lossless downloads.

 

[spag]

Well, it's iTunes. Can you not buy just one song for $1 to compare it with the existing one you have? So they're still using AAC to encode them, but tweaking them for some perceived loss of fidelity that AAC produces? They should just make the stuff available in their lossless format and be done with it.

I have little interest in this, as I don't buy music off iTunes. I'm curious what they are trying to make up for though.

 

[nailz]

"Yes, hello, this is Rush, and we're moneygrabbing with Buzzwords."