Mono cartridge… mono sound set up ❣️

[Fidelity Sounds]

[SONDEKNZ]

You’d have to be enraptured with old music recordings to go to these lengths. 
 

I own just one modern MONO recording - that is, a contemporary artist that recorded in MONO. 

 

I have not seen too many others - aside from MONO repressings of older music. 
 

Or am I wrong about this?
 

Have MONO recordings of new, contemporary music become a thing?

Edited November 30, 2024 by SONDEKNZ

[Fidelity Sounds]

Enjoy the music 

[ReliaBill EngR]

I have several hundred mono records. All original pressings. The mono recordings are frequency limited. At the mastering level. Basically 40 Hz to 10 kHz. Most have this in the technical notes. So going to great lengths here is mostly a fool’s errand. 
 

I use a true mono cartridge, a tip-sensing cartridge to give it the very best dynamics and sensitivity to detail. It has a FR of 25 Hz to 15 kHz, ruler flat.

 

I only use 2 headshell wires; the other 2 are removed from the headshell to eliminate noise from static or platter motor. I use the mono button to give me duplicate L and R signals to my amp and speakers. I get very full, smooth, noise-free, and extended treble from these mono recordings. Tight bass and midrange that is detailed and gives the sense of width with tremendous phantom channel fill.

[SONDEKNZ]

4 hours ago, ReliaBill EngR said:

I have several hundred mono records. All original pressings. The mono recordings are frequency limited. At the mastering level. Basically 40 Hz to 10 kHz. Most have this in the technical notes. So going to great lengths here is mostly a fool’s errand. 
 

I use a true mono cartridge, a tip-sensing cartridge to give it the very best dynamics and sensitivity to detail. It has a FR of 25 Hz to 15 kHz, ruler flat.

 

I only use 2 headshell wires; the other 2 are removed from the headshell to eliminate noise from static or platter motor. I use the mono button to give me duplicate L and R signals to my amp and speakers. I get very full, smooth, noise-free, and extended treble from these mono recordings. Tight bass and midrange that is detailed and gives the sense of width with tremendous phantom channel fill.

 

Fair enough.  All good. I too own several old MONO pressings and they sound very nice, with a very special tone, all of their own - even played with a decent STEREO cartridge.

But my question remains: Are new music recordings now reverting to pure MONO?

Personally, I have seen very few - and own only one MONO vinyl pressing that was (originally) recorded after Y2K: this 2016 release: -

[andyr]

1 hour ago, SONDEKNZ said:

 

Fair enough.  All good. I too own several old MONO pressings and they sound very nice, with a very special tone, all of their own - even played with a decent STEREO cartridge.
 

 

AIUI, Tony ... mono records played with a stereo cart will sound better if your phono stage has a 'mono' switch.  

 

[SONDEKNZ]

1 minute ago, andyr said:

 

AIUI, Tony ... mono records played with a stereo cart will sound better if your phono stage has a 'mono' switch.  

 

 

I'm sure you are right, Andy.

Sadly, no. A MONO switch is the one feature I have never owned - but would love to.

[ReliaBill EngR]

12 hours ago, SONDEKNZ said:

 

Fair enough.  All good. I too own several old MONO pressings and they sound very nice, with a very special tone, all of their own - even played with a decent STEREO cartridge.

But my question remains: Are new music recordings now reverting to pure MONO?

Personally, I have seen very few - and own only one MONO vinyl pressing that was (originally) recorded after Y2K: this 2016 release: -

News to me. Lots of mono reissues of old mono recordings out there. 
 

Not sure how many vintage audio setups are out there, vs new(er) setups. Most new setups don’t have a good mono option that I’ve seen. So I’m not sure why new releases would be in mono. A stereo cartridge would be the option. Cartridge loading issues come up when you strap a stereo cartridge.

[Fidelity Sounds]

16 hours ago, andyr said:

 

AIUI, Tony ... mono records played with a stereo cart will sound better if your phono stage has a 'mono' switch.  

 

Surprise my understand real mono Lp track little bit bigger than stereo, which I can here surface noise and little distortion on my system while play stereo cartridge on mono LP

[Fidelity Sounds]

On 30/11/2024 at 2:59 PM, SONDEKNZ said:

You’d have to be enraptured with old music recordings to go to these lengths. 
 

I own just one modern MONO recording - that is, a contemporary artist that recorded in MONO. 

 

I have not seen too many others - aside from MONO repressings of older music. 
 

Or am I wrong about this?
 

Have MONO recordings of new, contemporary music become a thing?

 

 

Mono set up to listen original mono records….  Something like this ….

 

 

Lyra Titan mono cartridge

 

 

Edited December 3, 2024 by Fidelity Sounds

[Ian McP]

A mono cartridge is a different animal to a stereo cartridge

 

https://ortofon.com/pages/what-is-mono

 

< When playing a mono record with a stereo cartridge, various imperfections like crosstalk, noise, phase errors, tracking error, antiskating, and distortion can lead to an unstable and partially fuzzy sound in the two channels. However, using a mono cartridge eliminates these issues by producing a single signal that is directed to both channels. This results in a more forceful and stable sound with greater richness. >

 

< The benefit of a mono cartridge

Using a mono cartridge has the added advantage of being unaffected by vertical movement, such as the pinching effect that occurs when the stylus is pushed upward in narrow grooves. It also reduces the impact of dust, dirt, and wear, leading to a cleaner and quieter reproduction of the mono record.

These benefits cannot be achieved solely through the use of a mono switch. >

 

read on for the full article, makes interesting reading

 

https://ortofon.com/pages/what-is-mono

 

 

 

 

[buzzkram]

Possibility of damage to the stylus on your Stereo cartridge as the grooves on a Mono record are wider than a Stereo record…..

[Fidelity Sounds]

24 minutes ago, buzzkram said:

Possibility of damage to the stylus on your Stereo cartridge as the grooves on a Mono record are wider than a Stereo record…..

I never play stereo cartridge on mono record.

 

[buzzkram]

Apologies to you Fidelity Sounds my post was a response to SondekNZ.

 

[Fidelity Sounds]

Melbourne hot day new toys , MONO set up again 

 

[audiofeline]

On 30/11/2024 at 9:39 PM, SONDEKNZ said:

I'm sure you are right, Andy. ["mono records played with a stereo cart will sound better if your phono stage has a 'mono' switch"]
Sadly, no. A MONO switch is the one feature I have never owned - but would love to.

A double-Y RCA connector from the phono stage to the preamp will do this for you (or the double-Y connected to the tape monitor circuit will turn it into a mono switch). There are some very long threads on this on the SHF.

 

Playing a mono LP with a stereo cart in mono mode will reduce surface noise by ~3db (a lot of it is out of phase and will be cancelled out) and the remaining (stereo) noise won't be as distracting when centred in the mono signal. 

[andyr]

1 hour ago, audiofeline said:

A double-Y RCA connector from the phono stage to the preamp will do this for you (or the double-Y connected to the tape monitor circuit will turn it into a mono switch). There are some very long threads on this on the SHF.

 

Mmmm - not sure about that, Rob.

 

My understanding of a 'mono switch' implementation is that you need to have a series resistor between each channel output and the summed output to each channel.  This series resistor isolates each channel from the other - which a simple "RCA Y" connectors won't do.

 

[SONDEKNZ]

I'm with you guys... 

[Grizzly]

A modern mono recording

 

https://curling.bandcamp.com/album/definitely-band

[audiofeline]

On 16/12/2024 at 9:48 PM, andyr said:

Mmmm - not sure about that, Rob.

My understanding of a 'mono switch' implementation is that you need to have a series resistor between each channel output and the summed output to each channel.  This series resistor isolates each channel from the other - which a simple "RCA Y" connectors won't do.

Technically, I accept this (and have come across this description before, this article has often been referenced https://www.ranecommercial.com/legacy/note109.html).  And I have read that in some (rare) instances the double-y won't work with some equipment. 

However, the double-y appears to work OK in most systems, there are many who use it and advocate it without issue, so it seems like it would work OK for most. 
Andy, if best practice (the resistors) isn't used, what potential damage could be done?

[andyr]

9 hours ago, audiofeline said:

Andy, if best practice (the resistors) isn't used, what potential damage could be done?

 

AIUI ... you won't physically damage the component (preamp, say) by combining L& R outputs together - but doing this interferes with the signal.

 

If you use a 6K8 res from each channel output to the combined point ... this removes the potential for interference.

 

 

[Fidelity Sounds]

Mono sound fantastic 

Ruggiero Ricci Paganini Original MONO LP  Decca UK pressing.

Lyra Titian Mono Cartridge.

Glanz MSH-1200 tonearm.

JC verdier turntable.

Kondo M1000 MKII Preamp " swith to Mono sound "

Combak PAT 300B power amp.

Shindo Latour full field coil

 

 

 

 

[aussievintage]

On 03/12/2024 at 4:40 PM, buzzkram said:

Possibility of damage to the stylus on your Stereo cartridge as the grooves on a Mono record are wider than a Stereo record…..

 

They aren't really any wider.  It's a V shaped groove with the walls at 90 degrees to each other.  Size of the stylus determines the depth at which it will ride.  They only changed the specification to 0.7 for stereo from 1 mil for early mono records, so that stereo modulations didn't make the groove too shallow (pushing both walls together at the same time) and cause the stylus to mistrack.

[aussievintage]

On 17/12/2024 at 9:49 PM, audiofeline said:

However, the double-y appears to work OK in most systems, there are many who use it and advocate it without issue, so it seems like it would work OK for most. 

Indeed.

 

On 18/12/2024 at 7:51 AM, andyr said:

If you use a 6K8 res from each channel output to the combined point ... this removes the potential for interference.

 

Depends entirely on the circuit design, and normally it isn't needed (as per above).  I would just strap the cartridge for mono instead,  or use the Y-cable at the phono preamp INPUT (nearly as good)

[aussievintage]

1 hour ago, Fidelity Sounds said:

Ruggiero Ricci Paganini Original MONO LP  Decca UK pressing.

 

I have a 1950 MONO UK Decca LXT 2509,  of Ricci doing Tchaikovsky and it is signed by him.  It looks like it is authentic, comparing to examples you can search for online.