Yes – Going For The One

Unfortunately, I have yet to find a very good version of GFTO. While I really wanted to like this Hoffman remaster, I picked up a used vinyl copy and prefer it to the AF and the 2003 remaster.

Just bought online, sealed in 'old' version of shrink-wrap with tear strip
All the details on my version match this except for on the CD it says 'Made in '
The jewel case has a yellow paper with 'Yes Expanded & Remastered' on the Jewel case hinge along with a picture of the LP.
Thoughts?
I am confused.

The SACD layers mastering is taken from the High Vibrations boxset as indicated on my Marantz SA12SE which literally has the text that shows it! I find this better than the redbook CD i had but not quite as balanced as the Audio Fidelity disc done by Hofman. Truth be told after listening to Fragile or and Wilson remix this recording just sounds poor on any release so its a case of trying to find the least smelly turd. This ones less smelly than some discs but not the least smelliest of all lol.

I understand the OG tapes are gone which is such a shame as i bet a Wilsom remix would do wonders for this like Tales From and Relayer

I thought i would offer my evaluation of my copy having read some very critical reviews here.
I am firstly very lucky my copy isnt warped plays dead centered, is non fill/stitching free and plays with negligible surface noise of any sort throughout.... for a Rainbo records pressing, this is a nigh on miracle alone!!! I suspect many hate their copies as they play badly in varying degrees.

The mastering is actually ok. Acceptable. Brilliant? No. Rubbish? No.

I would surmise that tapes were indeed used for this, but if they were the original ones and not a copy id be amazed. This album has previously sounded terrible on red book CD, compressed to high hell. It didnt exactly sound good originally either though. I dont think it will ever be considered one of Yes best sounding records. This FM edition stops short of compression, doesnt fall apart in the presence and uppers and has a fullish sound with reasonable dynamics. Compared to an OG UK its rolled off at the top and very bottom so has a overly smooth sound and slight dullness... its not terrible and renders the listening worthless but between this and the narrow imaging its different and therefore imperfect. I still also feel my AF SACD is quite superior but its partly due to the noise floor allowing the recording to shine a little more... it too has a slightly rolled off overall sound perhaps to make the OG sound less thin/wispy. For now the AF SACD is my definitive listening for GFTO but a NM OG is the best vinyl version.

For now, i would at least still recommend this copy at a low price as its far from the garbage binner some seem to be suggesting it is. At least my copy is!! I would be certain the likes of Bernie G or KPG could do better with a clean OG tape than Joe Reagoso who should stick to marketing his label and working with better pressing plants and mastering engineers. His label would be taken seriously then! A Steven Wilson remix would also likely be a worthwhile endeavour. For now, i have a copy of GFTO that i can at least mostly enjoy listening too even if i know its not perfect.

Got a PRC pressing from a local record store in M-/M- condition for 10 Euros, and it even had a Going For The One World Tour booklet included! Somehow I had never listened to this in any format before, but oh boy, this is one hot piece of an album! Awesome sound; full-bodied, warm and hits hard. Became immediately one of my faves from them.

This is an OK album. Not their best but I'm an old Yes fan, so I'm starting to enjoy it. Mainly purchased the LP for the trifold cover.

I was curious to hear what this album sounded like. After a few plays I started to like it. I wouldn't rate it as one of their best, but that's just my spin on it. Not great but not bad.

When I bought that for the first time around 1980 it meant a major disappointment to me. So, I wasn't listening to Yes for quite a long time then, and I started with The Yes Album (1971) and with Fragile (1971) approx. 3,4 years ago once again. Recently, I was listening to Going For The One for the first time in 40 years, and... I was totally disappointed again. For me it remains being a letdown, a major step downstairs in comparison to the first half of the 70's.

The beautiful guitar-like sound on "Wonderous stories", named Vachalia, is a Spanish Tenor Laúd. Steve Howe received it as a gift from his sitser after a trip to Portugal, so he misnamed it on some places as "portuguese guitar".
https://www.facebook.com/RubioGuitars/videos/breve-historia-de-un-instrumento-inexistente-la-vachalia-de-steve-howe-guitarris/1451771061604258/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-BMlq_zyko

This is a weird one. Comparing this Piros repress to an original Monarch, both have noticeable ups and downs, but both don't sound...great?

I agree with mikeh69's comment, maybe a remix of this album could fix the issues of the sound, maybe a proper 45rpm remaster? I can't imagine how beautiful Awaken could sound if it was on its own on one side of vinyl