SH Spotlight If you have a turntable you need to play your mono records in true MONO. How to do it cheaply..

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Steve Hoffman, May 14, 2006.

  1. teag

    teag Forum Resident

    Location:
    Colorado
    Got it. Sorry about that.

    I have the following stereo cartridges: Dynavector XX MK11, Sumiko Blackbird, Soundsmith Zephyr and Rega Exact 2.

    The Ortofon Quintet Mono sounds better than all of these when playing mono records - old mono LPs or recent reissues.
     
  2. AnalogJ

    AnalogJ Hearing In Stereo Since 1959

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    I have mentioned somewhere else that when I first got into mono, I had a Grado Statement stereo Master and a Grado ME+. There was no doubt that the Master did more of the audiophile things like detail and soundstaging better than the ME+, but the ME+ locked images and rhythm when playing the same mono records as I would with the stereo Master, and the ME+ sounded vastly superior, musically speaking. I had no mono switch or Y-cable back then. But one of the first records I played was an original Bell 45rpm 7" of The Box Tops' "The Letter". It's a great song, and sounded fine on the Grado Master. But when I switched over to the ME+($135 at the time), the single came alive. My wife, not an audiophile in particular, had been listening to the song when I played it with the Master. But when I played it with the ME+, she blurted out, "Wow, that sounds GREAT!". She almost never makes any comments on sound unless it's too loud for her.
     
  3. RandelPink

    RandelPink The camel wore a nightie

    Location:
    LA
    A couple of questions that I've tried researching but couldn't find specific answers to:

    1.) If using a stereo table with built-in pre (and not familiar with soddering to add switch) connected straight to powered/active speakers, can I still use double Y for mono output? I have the Beatles Mono BoxSet and wanted to get the most out of it.

    2.) Ortofon 2M Mono Special Edition Cart - I've read that this improved version is sometimes suitable for stereo as well. Could I use this cart full-time and still get stereo output or will it also slowly wear down records do to the wider stylus?

    Sorry if these have been covered, I have read several posts that are very similar but not exactly the same. Thank you!
     
  4. AnalogJ

    AnalogJ Hearing In Stereo Since 1959

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    #2) No, you won't get stereo output from the 2M SE Mono
     
    RandelPink likes this.
  5. sjaca

    sjaca Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto ON, Canada
    Forgive me if this has been addressed somewhere in the previous 50 pages, but how does one counter the degradation in sound quality from using a double Y that is massively inferior to the cabling used throughout the system otherwise? The cheap double Y I made using Radio Shack quality parts sounded far worse than mono records played through my stereo cart. Arrange for a Cardas double Y cable to be made?
     
  6. AnalogJ

    AnalogJ Hearing In Stereo Since 1959

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    Between which components have you placed the y-cable?
     
  7. sjaca

    sjaca Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto ON, Canada
    Thanks for replying, I'll have to check as I did it about a year ago, kinda laughed afterwards & forgot about it until I saw this thread again. I'm quite sure I conformed to a setup diagram that was referenced or linked earlier in the thread, I'll look as I printed it, now at home. It was either between turntable & phono stage (likely), or phono stage & preamp.
     
  8. AnalogJ

    AnalogJ Hearing In Stereo Since 1959

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    The first option (likely)? Bad. Vedy vedy bad. That would be the cause of the distinctly worse sound.
     
    sjaca likes this.
  9. sjaca

    sjaca Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto ON, Canada
    Ah, thanks a bunch, will verify & amend as necessary!
     
  10. RandelPink

    RandelPink The camel wore a nightie

    Location:
    LA
    Anyone have insight on this?
     
  11. marcb

    marcb Senior Member

    Location:
    DC area
    Do you normally connect the TT to the speakers with RCAs?
     
  12. RandelPink

    RandelPink The camel wore a nightie

    Location:
    LA
    Yeah exactly, RCA straight from TT into powered speakers.
     
  13. marcb

    marcb Senior Member

    Location:
    DC area
    I would think you'd be okay putting it between the TT and the speakers (which would be line level after the phono stage, but before the power amp).

    But maybe someone disagrees...
     
  14. RandelPink

    RandelPink The camel wore a nightie

    Location:
    LA
    Gotcha, thanks for chiming in as well. I'll be giving it a shot next week and will report what happens!

    Cheers
     
  15. djhurley92

    djhurley92 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    York
    Hi all,

    I've got myself a double y cable setup however this seems to be causing an issue with my amp (rotel ra-04). I am using the tape loop so that I can switch to mono using the monitor selector. This works, but only for 5 minutes or so before which the audio drops (it goes very quiet as if the internal phono pre has died). Switching the monitor knob back to source brings the sound back (in stereo). I then need to leave the amp turned off for a few minutes before I can get mono working again via the y splitter.

    Has anyone had similar issues or know of a way round this? Could it be the impedance of my y splitter is causing a problem or that the output is shorting itself?

    The latter is suggested here but looking through this thread I can't see anyone else suffering from this:

    Why Not Wye?

    Many thanks
     
  16. Klassik

    Klassik Guerilla BeatLOLogist

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    This has been a really useful thread but after trying all these tips, I'd have to add that only Van Gogh impersonators can hear in true mono. FACT
     
  17. matthew2600

    matthew2600 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Colorado
    This thread changed my life, mostly for the better I guess? I bought the two y-cords on amazon, started culling through vinyl stacks for my vinyl presses a week ago. I can't believe I was doing this so wrong all these years, I've had some of these mono records for like 15 years and played them through stereo. I have some older jazz lps in kinda meh VG shape that now are totally playable after cleaning, so glad I didn't get rid of some of these titles I could have justified letting go based on visual grade. Now I can hunt for mono presses specifically when I'm out digging in addition to all the other categories. I'm always trying to get cleaner sound and this sure helps for mono at least. Highly recommended if you haven't!
     
  18. Rob9874

    Rob9874 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Surprise, AZ
    I have a question that I'm sure was answered in this thread, but 51 pages was a bit daunting. I recently purchased a mono switch from @xmas111, but just realized the AVR I play through has a mono listening mode. Do I still need the switch? And if I do, should I leave my AVR as stereo or switch it to mono?
     
  19. sjaca

    sjaca Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto ON, Canada
    Finally got around to connecting this properly & Wow, the mono sounds better!
    Auditioned Beatles Please Please Me, UK original & later black & gold label monos, & loved them more than with stereo playback.

    Thank you for your assistance!
     
    AnalogJ likes this.
  20. Derek Slazenger

    Derek Slazenger Specs, rugs & rock n roll

    Could some kind soul possibly link me to somewhere to buy a DOUBLE Y CORD in the UK? I can't seem to come up with the correct search term and I'd like to try this :) Thanks!
     
  21. marcb

    marcb Senior Member

    Location:
    DC area
    Try "stereo to mono rca"? You'll need two of them (that's the "double" part).
     
    Derek Slazenger likes this.
  22. musictoad

    musictoad Forum Resident

    Location:
    Salt Lake City, UT
    Just encountered this thread. I only have one mono LP - the mono release of Kind of Blue. Am I understanding correctly that unless I do this Y cord setup I'm not getting out of that LP what I should be getting? Because it sounds fine to me...
     
  23. jupiterboy

    jupiterboy Forum Residue

    Location:
    Buffalo, NY
    Modern mono records will sound pretty good. What you get with a mono switch or with summing is you cancel (or reduce by 25dB or so) and sound that does not occur in both channels. That can be a little or big difference depending on the pressing and condition and how it was cut.
     
    musictoad likes this.
  24. marcb

    marcb Senior Member

    Location:
    DC area
    It's a long thread and the benefits have already been spelled out ad nauseum.

    I think the better way to say it might be "you're not getting what you COULD be getting". If you'd like your one "sounds fine" mono LP to be "sounds even better than fine", you should try it.
     
    qwerty likes this.
  25. Derek Slazenger

    Derek Slazenger Specs, rugs & rock n roll

    Nice one ;) I've been searching for 'phono'.
     

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