OK, the replacement arrived and is not warped. I cleaned it first with RR Deep cCleaner and followed that by two cleanings of RR Super Wash, using a VPI 16.5.
My analog front end is a VPI Aries 2 (inverted bearing), JMW 10.5, Keotsu Urushi, Krell KPE reference.
There is a bit of hiss on the lead in on both sides, nothing that exceeds the original 1971 Atlantic release but I expected less for the $39.99 I paid.
The bass overall is a bit more boomy than than the remastered CD but not unpleasantly so. The is excellent articulation in the acoustic guitars and the vocals come through very clearly. The piano on Country Girl is stuning in the detail; it's as though they went back to the multitrack and pushed it up a bit in the mix. It's not distracting, it's just that i notice it more now than before. Dynamically the sonics pull me in. A musician friend of mine commented that it was the most musical sounding version of Deja Vu he's heard.
For the most part I am happy. The restored album graphics and texture is professionally done and overall I believe that I have a "fresh" copy of the original album.
I'll bet that MFSL sounds great though Telemoli. I have Steely Dan's Aja on MFSL and it is simply amazing, so dynamic and quiet. Wish they would begin manufacturing vinyl again.
