How are you playing your precious MONO Vinyl?

[DasguteOhr]

There's no such thing as a mono amp and preamp. Obviously amps come as mono or stereo, but what I mean is that there is no difference in signal processing.

Whether you use a single or two speakers is a matter of taste (and loudness). I use both setups. When I listen to a singie speaker, I simply disconnect the other.

The only "mono specific" equipment is the cartridge. A mono cartridge is optimized for mono "grooves". Note that mono recordings after roughly 1968 were pressed on stereo grooves, so a mono cartridge is not relevant for modern day mono LPs...

As far as EQ curves go, different curves apply whenever the RIAA norm was not used, which could be an entire topic on its own. There are stereo records that don't use RIAA...

For orginal mono lps you need cartridge with 25um needle. Almost every record label had its own equalization curve. For example, Columbia.

 

[hopkins]

For orginal mono lps you need cartridge with 25um needle. Almost every record label had its own equalization curve. For example, Columbia.View attachment 149832

Yes, check out the link in my previous post as well.

 

[Lynnot]

Old microgroove records are better off with 25µ needles. From early sixties onwards I mostly use a 17µ tip.
With respect to equalisation please look here: https://www.whatsbestforum.com/thre...rticular-weapons-of-choice.39155/post-1064978

Best regards,
Tony

 

[jeff1225]

I just bought a Shelter 501 mk2 to dip my toe into mono carts and I’m amazed how great it sounds. I should have bought a mono cart a long time ago.

 

[Yeti]

Anyone using an MC A mono? I rather like what my SPU Royal N does with a mono record, my mono Decca Maroon doesn’t always win the comparison. A replicant 100 stylus doesn’t seem to get lost in a mono groove the way some of the other fine line styli like the microridge or Ogura PA did.

 

[Lynnot]

I've got an Ortofon SPU mono (=G-shell) unfortunately in need of a retip (it lost its diamond).

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

I have DaVa mono in The Peak arn

 

[godofwealth]

I like my mono records... unique sound of that particular period in history appeals to me.
Stereo is a night and day improvement over mono in my opinion.

Not in my experience of having listened to several hundreds of mono recordings from the 1930s-1960s (classic jazz, rock, folk etc.). Anywhere from Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Sarah Vaughan, The Weavers, Frank Sinatra, etc. etc.

In each and every case, the original mono blows away the "fake" stereo versions every time. It's not just my opinion. Bob Dylan hated the fake stereo recordings, as did The Beatles. As did almost every great artist from that time period. The record companies sold "stereo" because they could make a few extra nickels per album in sales.

Here's my mono rig: a restored Garrard 301, SME 312S, and the Miyajima Infinity Zero true mono cartridge. Sonic bliss is listening to John Coltrane's legendary recordings on mono vinyl. The stereo versions seem so lame in comparison. Of course, there are sonic reasons on vinyl why stereo sucks. There is no lateral modulation in mono, and the Miyajima cannot play stereo recordings. You get astonishingly clear sound with minimal ticks and pops, which are always present in stereo recordings, even new ones.

 

[jeff1225]

Not in my experience of having listened to several hundreds of mono recordings from the 1930s-1960s (classic jazz, rock, folk etc.). Anywhere from Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Sarah Vaughan, The Weavers, Frank Sinatra, etc. etc.

In each and every case, the original mono blows away the "fake" stereo versions every time. It's not just my opinion. Bob Dylan hated the fake stereo recordings, as did The Beatles. As did almost every great artist from that time period. The record companies sold "stereo" because they could make a few extra nickels per album in sales.

Here's my mono rig: a restored Garrard 301, SME 312S, and the Miyajima Infinity Zero true mono cartridge. Sonic bliss is listening to John Coltrane's legendary recordings on mono vinyl. The stereo versions seem so lame in comparison. Of course, there are sonic reasons on vinyl why stereo sucks. There is no lateral modulation in mono, and the Miyajima cannot play stereo recordings. You get astonishingly clear sound with minimal ticks and pops, which are always present in stereo recordings, even new ones.

View attachment 155120

At one of his show demonstrations, Jeff Catalano played mono and stereo versions of jazz albums. Fantastic presentation and I think that everyone left that room as a believer in mono.

 

[gleeds]

At one of his show demonstrations, Jeff Catalano played mono and stereo versions of jazz albums. Fantastic presentation and I think that everyone left that room as a believer in mono.

Leave it to Jeff!

 

[jeff1225]

Leave it to Jeff!

Everyone named Jeff wins in audio

 

[treitz3]

Even those Jeff's that have a differing spelling!!! Geoff Castellucci comes to mind...

My apologies for the off topic post. I'll see myself out now...

Tom