Building TT "mono" switch box tips...

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Todd Fredericks, May 8, 2002.

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  1. Todd Fredericks

    Todd Fredericks Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    A New Yorker
    In a month or two (when I have some more time) I may be interested in building a "mono" switch box for my vinyl playback (the Y&S preamp I'm getting soon doesn't have a mono switch). I'm not very brilliant at electronics but am brave enough to take on little projects (I installed the SDS board on my Dynaco/etc.) and I learn stuff pretty quickly. Could some one describe (walk me through it like I'm a five year old/exact parts/box construction/wiring/type of wire/etc.) what I would need to do to make a "simple" box to do this without compromissing stereo playback too much. I'm just getting too lazy to keep futzing with my y-connector everytime I decided to spin a mono disc. A switch, I believe will make my life and choices of albums less complicated.

    Thanks very much in advance,

    Todd
     
  2. Angel

    Angel New Member

    Location:
    Hollywood, Ca.
    Remember Todd, It's got to be a really good switch you make. You are running all of your sound through it all the time, both stereo and mono. No sense in getting a great tube system hooked up (with Telefunken tubes and everything) and then channeling all of the sound through some cheap box. Defeats the purpose.

    So, get high quality parts! ;)


    BTW, (not to butt in where it's not my bizzness), but I thought that this "Hong Kong preamp" was just a line stage, with no phono section in it. :confused:
     
  3. Todd Fredericks

    Todd Fredericks Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    A New Yorker
    Angel,

    That's very true. Is there something I can make or buy that won't compromise the sonics (what would be a realistic budget for good quality parts)? Well, maybe I should not give in to laziness too much. Now this is a silly question about mono vinyl. Do all mono discs benifit from combining the channels (or using just left or right if there is some groove damage on the opposing side)? What confuses me is the talk about using "stereo" lathes to cut modern mono discs and the ol' vintage mono style (one channel everything). If I'm not making too much sense, I'm kind of tired today (at work) and have this dreaded cold that doesn't seem to want to go away...

    Todd

    P.S. Angel, you're not butting in, I have an AcousTech PH-1 phonostage...


    Inserted Message: Wow, I'm sorry I confused a lot of people with my use of "preamp" instead of "linestage". I have to admit, the "official" names/classifications of equipment sometimes changes so often, I'm not sure what to call anything anymore. It's all apples 'n' oranges. Anyway, sorry for the confusion again. I sometimes have difficulty posting my thoughts & questions in a clear manner when I'm tired or distracted (which seems to be most of the time these days).
     
  4. Angel

    Angel New Member

    Location:
    Hollywood, Ca.
    Oh, good, you have a phono section. Sometimes people say preamp and line stage to mean the same thing, and they really don't anymore (at least since companies started to exclude phono sections).

    Mono records. Well, if you have a record that has a dirty left channel, it needs cleaning (a seperate issue, Humorem's area). But, other than that, any MONO 45 or LP should be played back L+R mono. Cuts groove noise in half from stereo records. Since there is no phase problem (at least in cuttings before 1971 or so), there is no reason to play back a mono cut record in the stereo mode, ever. Just adds a ton of noise to your playback.

    Later mono cut LP's (from the stereo era)? Hit and miss. If the tape was played back on a MONO TAPE MACHINE, or if the cutting engineer correctly only used the left or right channel to cut the record, play it back in L+R mono. If in doubt, play a song and switch back and forth. If the audio goes to hell in mono (with swishing and high end loss), you know you have a (crappy) mono cutting that was not done right.

    If you have a DCC LP in mono, play it back in mono. Steve cut them correctly. Doesn't matter if the groove itself was cut with a stereo or mono tip, the principle is the same: If you don't need the full stereo groove for stereo information, don't use it 'cause nothing is there except STEREO GROOVE NOISE!

    That help? Don't thank me, thank Steve H. He taught me (us) all of this on the DCC and SH Forums.
     
  5. Todd Fredericks

    Todd Fredericks Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    A New Yorker
    Yes, that helped make things very clear. I sometimes need to take moments to think over info I "think" I know to make sure that I "really" know (if that makes any sense). I guess I'll keep using my trusty y-connector process. If I'm feeling the dreadful spell of "laziness" then I'll just spin the mono record without using it and suffer some of the sonic consequences...

    Thanks,
    Todd
     
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