How are you playing your precious MONO Vinyl?

[mtemur]

I don’t hear bacon frying in the background.

 

[No Regrets]

Adding the second arm with the Miyajima Infinity Mono made a big impact. Since it’s a true mono design it only responds to lateral groove movement. That resulted in a noticeable drop in groove noise, plus a jump in midrange presence, body, and overall tonal weight. Mono records just sound more alive and focused, with a richness that wasn’t there when using a stereo cart.

Thank you for your reply…
That sounds like a very impressive and huge jump in sonic quality!

I truly appreciate you taking the time to describe what your experience has given you

Best wishes,
Don

 

[No Regrets]

I’m finding it marginal with an 18μm spherical on a Decca against a Replicant 100 on an SPU plus the mono switch, more like different flavours. It wasn’t marginal when my stereo cartridge had a micro ridge stylus, that sounded quite lost in a mono groove. Listening to your recording it seems to have good body and scale and I don’t hear bacon frying in the background. I just wonder if I upped my mono game if it would pay off, given that I’m not willing to risk a cartridge with no vertical compliance.

Thank you for your reply and also for taking the time to listen to my video!

Even though I’m playing this mono recording on my stereo cartridge and not using a mono switch, etc I am thoroughly enjoying it through my stereo system.

It’s giving me great body, harmonic structure, fullness, dynamics and like you had said “… with no bacon frying in the background”

Man, if it can take a huge jump up from that by using a dedicated mono cartridge as Vinylfan suggests ; I’d be extremely impressed

I truly appreciate everyone’s comments!

Best wishes,
Don

 

[No Regrets]

 

[UEM]

May I throw in one more contender of "True Mono“ cartridges ?
(Sorry – it belongs to the more costly varieties ...)

IKEDA 9Mono
See here for details.

IKEDA Sound Labs 9mono MC Phono Cartridge — Audiophilia

For the past five years, I’ve lived with an excellent “true” mono cartridge (a single coil with sufficient vertical compliance to play both “modern” mono reissues and pre-1967 mono originals)—the hand-made Miyajima Labs Infinity Monaural MC Phono Cartridge (USD 3375). It performed its unique dutie

www.audiophilia.com

The IKEDA is the only "true mono" component, otherwise I’m using my normal stereo set up.
OK, my AMR-PH77 Phono-Pre sports a meagre 20 or so EQ-Curves. , but for my usual MONO listening I’m actually only using about 3 or 4 of those.

Regards
Urs

 

[Lynnot]

- noice floor significantly reduced
- dynamics improved
- spaciousness (depth of field) improved at lot

 

[groovemaster]

- noice floor significantly reduced
- dynamics improved
- spaciousness (depth of field) improved at lot

Lynnot, exactly my experience.
Here is the 45 Anniversary AT Mono 33 Edition.



In combination with the AS Monophonic. That is Mono Highend. The Bluenote Records had there own Equalisation Curve until 1954.



In this picture you see the BBC Equalisation. Two numbers. 5.5 / 7.0

I have several original Mono records since the vinyl era from 1940.

 

[crosswind]

I have DaVa mono in a modified Reed 2B (increased effective mass and internal cables for field coil).

 

[averagemusicenjoyer]

May I throw in one more contender of "True Mono“ cartridges ?
(Sorry – it belongs to the more costly varieties ...)

IKEDA 9Mono
See here for details.

IKEDA Sound Labs 9mono MC Phono Cartridge — Audiophilia

For the past five years, I’ve lived with an excellent “true” mono cartridge (a single coil with sufficient vertical compliance to play both “modern” mono reissues and pre-1967 mono originals)—the hand-made Miyajima Labs Infinity Monaural MC Phono Cartridge (USD 3375). It performed its unique dutie

www.audiophilia.com

The IKEDA is the only "true mono" component, otherwise I’m using my normal stereo set up.
OK, my AMR-PH77 Phono-Pre sports a meagre 20 or so EQ-Curves. , but for my usual MONO listening I’m actually only using about 3 or 4 of those.

Regards
Urs

Hi Urs,

I'm currently debating buying the Ikeda 9mono. Would you mind sharing your experiences with the cartridge? Besides the audiophilia review and a short review on stereophile there's not much information/reviews/user experiences on the cart to be found online. My current mono setup consists of a Sorane TA-1 tonearm with the Hana SL Mono, feeding into a Luxman EQ-500 phono stage. I like the overall sound this combination produces, but I'm looking for a bit "more of everything" and feel like the Hana might be the bottleneck.

Thank you and have a nice day
Marc

 

[UEM]

Marc,
First of all I have to admit that I don’t have any comparison “IKEDA vs another High End Mono-generator”. However, all my (also limited !) researches to the topic indicated the IKEDA being a real “Top Shot”.

Maybe it is interesting however comparing the IKEDA to my stereo counterparts: SPU Century, KOETSU Platinum and a Decca Reference.
A true Mono generator transmits this difficult to describe “musical integrity“ ? or “compactness” ? or “authority” ? and maintains a perceived depth in the sound, which is - to a degree - missing with a stereo cartridge.
With other words: A (good) MONO record sounds more authentic with the IKEDA than with a stereo-cell.

IF you have “original” (meaning old and somewhat used..!) mono records, a true Mono-generator most always also has a lower noise level. For newer not yet worn records this aspect may be of lesser importance.
IMHO: Using a stereo cell and just pressing the mono button on your equipment does not give the same result !

Have lots of musical enjoyment with the IKEDA !

Regards
Urs