First, why does this look just like my review of the 2 vinyl edition? Basically because it is the same review. Every version of this album is messed up.
Going from my review of the CD version, I will say that these tracks are the closest Metallica has gotten to pre-Metallica/Black Album days since ...And Justice for All. The tracks are all really good.
However, there is a huge problem. There is clipping on the CD version. What this means is that you will hear distortion and popping on the CD version, along with a muddying of the instruments, that isn't intentional. They also turned the volume on the CD all the way up on the authoring side, so the CD is also overly LOUD.
So you think to yourself, "I can avoid all those digitally introduced problems; I can just buy the vinyl editions." Well here's where the problem arises. These tracks were recorded digitally from start to finish so there is no original analog master. The problem isn't that it's digital, it is that Metallica allowed the producers to record their instrument/vocal tracks at or very close to the 0 db level. This means that when mixed for the final stereo mix, the music is already maxed out on the volume side. This means all the clipping they recorded while in the studio made its way into the final mix. This INCLUDES the vinyl mixes as they went with the final mix tapes/files for the vinyl.
So if you are buying this to avoid the horrible authoring on the CD, save your money as the quality, for all intents and purposes, is just as ruined as it is on the CD.
And yes, I own the 5 LP edition and have verified, personally, that the mixing on the vinyl is just as bad as the CD. So just because this is a Mo-Fi (Mobile Fidelity) release, don't expect them to be able to work miracles on what is already a messed up album. On vinyl it probably sounds the best, however when it has issues like these that is kind of an oxymoron.