Do You Own And Use A Mono Phono Cartridge?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by EdogawaRampo, Jun 26, 2014.

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  1. I would have to have several hundred Mono LPs before considering a dedicated cartridge for them. I only have about 75-100 and the mono switch on my preamp does just fine. Even at $700 for the Ortofon 2M Mono it is too rich for me to make that a justifiable purchase.
     
  2. Jtycho

    Jtycho Forum Resident

    Location:
    PA
    So the $64,000 question is: do you use this setup for post 1967 mono records as well as newer reissues? If yes, how's it sound?

    What I'm still not clear about is, and mind you it's not clear because different experts say different things, how can a true mono cart be advantageous on a record that was cut with a stereo lathe for a stereo cartridge?
     
  3. Wally Swift

    Wally Swift Yo-Yoing where I will...

    Location:
    Brooklyn New York
    Does anyone know if early stereo LPs [late 50's early 60's] were cut with the wider groove size or has all stereo been the smaller .07 mil groove size since the beginning?
     
  4. crispi

    crispi Vinyl Archaeologist

    Location:
    Berlin
    I don't own one and that is probably the reason why I don't use one.

    Now if changing carts on a Rega would be easier or if I had a second turntable...
     
  5. oxenholme

    oxenholme Senile member

    Location:
    Knoydart
    I did once have a turntable with a tonearm whose headshell was detachable, but switching cartridges is a terrifying exercise on the current set up, with the wooden body of the cartridge barely fitting and the risk of stripping the threads cut into the wood.

    It would seem a little excessive to have 3 Linn Sondeks sat side by side - one modified to turn at 78 rpm, one fitted with a mono spherical stylus for playing USA 45s with the fish fryer surface noise and the other with a normal stereo cartridge. Or maybe a 4th with a Shibata stylus for CD4 Discrete Quadraphonic LPs?

    If truth be known I quite like stereo surface noise!
     
  6. oxenholme

    oxenholme Senile member

    Location:
    Knoydart
    That I cannot answer, but surely the groove is very narrow on the EMI (Columbia, HMV, Parlophone) stereo 45 rpm EPs from the late 50s and early 60s?
     
  7. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

    Highly unlikely that it will be advantageous, and quite likely the opposite, which is why the marketing tie-in between the Beatles' Mono box and the Ortofon mono cart seems misguided to me. It is almost a certainty that the new Beatles box will be cut with a stereo cutting head.

    I was not aware that EMI released stereo EPs during that period. All of the pop EPs that I've seen (ie: Beatles, Gerry & the Pacemakers, etc.) were mono only.
     
  8. The FRiNgE

    The FRiNgE Forum Resident

    I have read all stereo from the beginning was cut for a 0.7 mil stylus. The early mono was cut for 1 mil playback, and I think carried over into the early 60's. I assume the later mono was cut for o.7 mil playback. I don't know if they were cut with a stereo cutting head, but probably a safe assumption they were.
     
  9. wcarroll

    wcarroll Senior Member

    Location:
    Baton Rouge, LA
    Exactly. And some vintage preamps have a control that will send either the left or right input out to both channels of your amplfier.
    Such as the McIntosh MX110 "Mode Selector." Pick the channel with the least wear and easily listen on both speakers!
     
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  10. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    Yes, this flexibility and useful control features are big reasons why I love older McIntosh gear so well. And these are very useful features. Also, for Mercury rechanneled records, you can play the left channel and get pure mono.
     
  11. I used Steve's 'double-Y' cable trick to dedicate a mono turntable, an old Luxman PD-284 with a Shure Premier cart & Jico stylus. Sounds wicked. Can't wait to spin some of those new Beatles mono LPs later this year!
     
  12. Ricardo Cosinaro

    Ricardo Cosinaro Forum Resident

    The Beatles Mono box has spurred me to purchase a dedicated tonearm just for mono records. I intend to purchase an Ortofon 2m SE when they are made available to order in the US. My understanding is an Ortofon cutting cartridge was used for the mono boxes and I assume it was a mono cutting head. But what do I know? :^)

    -ricardo0
     
  13. Clanceman

    Clanceman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, Or
    I have mono records. I have the Beatles mono vinyl box on preorder.

    I have a McIntosh MA 7900 with a mono switch. I'm good with that! :)
     
  14. FulhamTarheel

    FulhamTarheel Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC, USA
    Ok, I am bumping this instead of starting another thread.

    I have a question regarding mono records/carts.

    I have no mono switch or anything like that with my amp. Would a good stereo cart (Dyna 10x5) sound better than a average mono cart when playing mono records?
     
  15. Guy St.Pierre

    Guy St.Pierre Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Alberta
    No. I've tried with a DV20X, a Clearaudio Melody, Shelter 501, and my mono SPU cartridge blows them all away on mono lp's.
     
    John Bliss likes this.
  16. fmuakkassa

    fmuakkassa Dr. M

    Location:
    Ohio
    No. I use my mono switch on my phono tube pre-amp.
    I am wondering if I should also use the mono switch on my tube pre-amp at the same time (both Audio Research).
     
  17. DaleH

    DaleH Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southeast
    A mono cartridge could have some advantage in that the strapped stereo cartridge could have phase differences between the channels at higher frequencies. Azimuth is critical in either case for best performance.
     
    The FRiNgE likes this.
  18. The FRiNgE

    The FRiNgE Forum Resident

    Just happened to pop into my head, the tape monitor loop can be used for a mono switch. Needed are two short Y adapter cables, one with a female RCA jack, and two male ends, the other one with one with all male ends. Connect the cables, and voila, an instant mono switch.
     
    Last edited: Sep 5, 2014
  19. MisterBritt

    MisterBritt Senior Member

    Location:
    Santa Fe, NM, USA
    I'm far from expert on such matters. But why would you assume they cut these mono albums with stereo cutting heads? To wit: " ... a bottom radious ..." suggests to me it is a mono cutting head. More from the Ortofon website:

    The Beatles Mono Box Set

    The LPs in The Beatles in Mono box has, according to GRAMMY®-winning engineer Sean Magee from Abbey Road Studios, been cut with a minimum groove width of 60µm. But for those records allowing the space, 70µm and 80µm has been used. Additionally, according to Sean Magee, the surface noise from the lacquer smoothes out with depth. With the cutting stylus that was used, a bottom radius around 4µm will be achieved.

    [​IMG]This kind of groove will make it possible to use most modern mono cartridges without any problems. However, to get the most out of the grooves, a line contact type like the Fine Line on the MC Cadenza Mono or the Shibata on the specially developed 2M Mono SE will be perfect.

    2M Mono SE is effectively the cartridge from Ortofon used by GRAMMY®-winning engineer Sean Magee and GRAMMY®-winning mastering supervisor Steve Berkowitz for replay when mastering the new mono albums for vinyl from quarter-inch master tapes.
     
  20. DaleH

    DaleH Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southeast
    That 2M mono looks nice but from the description, "Strapped output delivers the same output signal from both sets of pole pins." I'm not sure this is any different than hitting the mono button with your 2M Black.
     
    MisterBritt likes this.
  21. Tom Daly

    Tom Daly Forum Resident

    Location:
    Missouri
    I play all mono records with a GE VRII cartridge, circa early 1960. GE claimed it was the first mono cartridge that could safely play stereo records in its original marketing propaganda. They even offered a .7 mil stylus for it, although since I have a few of these hanging around, I have a 1.0 mil stylus in one and a .7 in the other. I find that the 1.0 mil stylus tracks older, pre-1967 mono discs better than the .7, but that the .7 tracks later mono discs and reissues better. This cartridge, being a turnaround model, is also excellent for playing 78 rpm discs. It tracks LPs well at 4 grams and 78s at 6 grams or higher. This cartridge can be used on any stereo turntable with an S-shaped tonearm if a hole is drilled into the headshell to facilitate the turnaround knob. These cartridge are available on eBay from a seller called "NeedleDaddy."
     
  22. seed_drill

    seed_drill Senior Member

    Location:
    Tryon, NC, USA
    Me too. They're both the same, but I have one mounted to a DUAL CS-5000 headshell and one on a 1219 headshell. That allows for relatively quick switch outs.
     
  23. utahusker

    utahusker Senior Member

    Nope, a mono switch here.
     
  24. CCrider92

    CCrider92 Senior Member

    Location:
    Cape Cod, MA
    I'm content with y RCA cable set-up.
     
  25. search&destroy

    search&destroy Well-Known Member

    mono setup is an AR xa turntable with a grado mono cartridge....the beatles mono box sounds stunning....better then when i play it on my main table...michell gyro se!!:wiggle:
     
    John Bliss and The FRiNgE like this.
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