Why do Some Mono records sound like they are Stereophonic and others Not?

I've noticed that some mono records such as the Capital re-release of the Beach Boy's Pet Sounds and the Beatles re-releases often sound like stereo records and other mono records sound like mono with little audio expansion beyond the center?

Curious minds would like to know the answer

 

You mean to say some mono records sound more 3D-ish (for lack of a better term) while others sound really closed in?

 

Well this sounds interesting

 

Could be the transferring via stereo tape head, rather than a mono head, making minor details out of phase maybe. Or clean the stylus.

 

Exactly.

Some albums are like this but not all which is what puzzles me. The With the Beatles mono album sounds like it is a stereo record which I am not complaining about at all.

I thought it could be my speakers but it's not.

 

I was thinking it could be a stereo 'cutting head' being used but Steve knows best.

 

The cover says mono, but the record is a stereo pressing. Case closed/

 

Are you playing them in mono with your mono button or mono switch? If the record is supposed to be mono, but you're playing in stereo, and when using your mono switch the soundstage changes and/or the highs drop out, it is a bad cut.

 

I have several late 1960s mono records that are actually full stereo pressings. Sometimes they'd slap a "Can be played on stereo phonographs" sticker on it, but usually there's no indication of stereo anywhere on it. This was the era when record companies and retailers were phasing out mono LPs, so you'd encounter this quite often, as well as attempts to make stereo records more compatible with mono players, such as "Stereo-Monic", and the Haeco CSG (Compatible Stereo Generator) system that was responsible for ruining the audio quality of a whole bunch of Warner Bros. recordings circa 1969-1970. (A lot of those Haeco CSG encoded recordings even ended up decades later on CD, such as Cream's "White Room".)

 

I wonder if it could be your speakers combined with your room... reflections, resonances, etc.?

I have a mono radio in the kitchen and if I walk towards the far corner of the room, the sound seems to be coming from there as well.

 

I *think* I get you. The best explanation I could think of is whether the album was well recorded and mastered from the master tapes. If so, you're likely to get a more open presentation regardless of whether it's a mono record or not. Other mono records with lesser quality recording equipment and/or mastering source material might end up sounding more closed-in... even boxy.

 

I wish I understood what you meant by “sounds like stereo”

I take stereo to mean that there’s actual separation of material within the audio program between 2 channels

 

Where is @MONOLOVER when you need him ;^)

 

Play them in mono and switch polarity on one channel. Then it should be rather silent.

 

A lot of stereo recordings are really just a mono source with artificial stereo "room ambience" added. So if you add your own real room ambience to mono playback, you can achieve virtually the same effect.

 

On a good day, maybe even achieve 5.1!

 

Yeah, if it's not actually a stereo pressing, then reverb.

 

I think the distortions (ie unequal wear between grooves) that the stereo cartridge is picking up is what is contributing to the stereo illusion when playing mono records. I have witnessed this phenomenon myself and the effect is even visible on the McIntosh MPI4. When the mono button is depressed these distortion artifacts are cancelled, resulting in what sounds like soundstage collapsing and this is visible on the scope. But it really is mono regardless.

 

It is either 1 of 2 things:

1) Stereo record mislabeled as mono or
2) It's a well done mono recording

All mono (similar to all stereo) recordings are not created equal. Some engineers had a much better idea of what they were doing than others. Good mono, while not having fairly extreme right to left separation, can have a very 3D like soundstage quality which is really not that much different from stereo. I have a bunch of mono like this. Played back on decent equipment (including a true mono cartridge) I have my doubts as to whether most listeners would even realize they are listening to a mono recording. The 3D image is that impressive.

Or it could be a mislabeled stereo record. I have a bunch of mono records that are labeled as stereo, so it can go both ways.

 

Three files: stereo, mono and inverse mono. Origin the same mono record.

Dropbox - 180222_0202.wav
Dropbox - 180222_0202.mono.wav
Dropbox - 180222_0202.monoinv.wav

 

This is my favorite example of a true stereo record that is labeled to appear to be mono. It's a 45 from 1964, so anyone would look at it and think it was mono if they thought about it at all. (Not my video but I have this record.)

 

Agreed that when the mono button is pushed on my preamp it all collapses. But the records are almost new as is my cart so wear shouldn't be an issue.

I didn't say the records weren't mono but that the soundstage is so wide that it has a stereo like sound.

My Maggie 1.7s did the same thing in my home.

 

Down with a bad flu at the moment so I missed this. I do agree that very good mono pressings can come through as stereos because of where the speakers are situated to other furniture and the listener. If it's really dynamic you can hears layers in the music that could fool even a trained ear. I always play the BeeGees Odessa mono for new vinyl friends and everyone is certain it's stereo.

 

Honestly, if I hear a mono record that sounds like there's some kind of stereo spread to it, I start hunting for something wrong in my system -- azimuth problem, room reflection related problems, switches and connections that need cleaning, ears that need cleaning, etc. Now, I'll live with issues using a stereo cart and stereo preamp with no mono switch to playback a mono LP, I don't expect perfection in that circumstance. And I have plenty of mono recordings where you can hear room reverb and the sonic signature of the original recording space and some instrument set back and some right up close to mics, but stereo like left-right soundstage? When I hear that I think that's a symptom of a problem that needs troubleshooting.

 

Speaker setup, listening position, room.