First six Van Halen albums to be released as limited edition super high-fidelity box sets

(Image credit: Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab)

If you've just dropped a pile of hard-earned cash on one of the best turntables, you'll be after some high-quality vinyl to fully test its sonic capabilities.

So you'll be delighted to learn that Van Halen have partnered with renowned high-fidelity audiophile brand Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab to release limited edition box sets of the first six Van Halen albums, from 1978's self-titled debut to the final album of the Dave Lee Roth era, 1984.

The reissues are each available in two formats: as UltraDisc One-step 45rpm double vinyl box sets ('Ultradisc One-Step' is a process that results in higher quality lacquers, we're told) and in SACD (Super Audio CD) format, which Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs promise will result in the band's albums sounding "more vivid, present, and entertaining than ever."

Each vinyl set will be housed in a deluxe box, with each album tenderly wrapped in a foil-stamped jackets, while the SACD discs feature mini-gatefold sleeves. Both will be remastered using the original analogue tapes. Van Halen will arrive first – in the fourth quarter of 2022 – and be followed by Van Halen II, Women And Children First, Fair Warning, Diver Down and 1984.

“Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab is excited to release Van Halen's first six iconic albums in the UD1S and SACD formats for the first time,” said Jim Davis, president of Music Direct and Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab. “Fans will experience Van Halen’s original blend of raw power and Hollywood flair like never before through these limited-edition, audiophile-grade One-Step vinyl box sets.”

The vinyl and SACD releases are available from Music Direct, retailing at $29.99 for the SACD and $125 for the vinyl.

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.