Ok, so I've discovered a decent amount of my old 50s and 60s mono country albums have considerable amount of noise and was looking into this method. Basically, if I bought this : and this: Plugged the single ends of them into each other, then used this combo between 2 sets of standard rca interconnects from my TT to my phonostage, I would get the desired true mono effect?
It should work. I have a similar hookup on my Kenwood amplifier. I connect them to the tape monitor. This way, I can even leave them plugged in and with a tape dubbing switch set to on on the front of my amp I can have stereo and just switch it off for mono. I also avoid hum that I sometimes had using just the phono input.
Been using this method to convert some old spoken word reel to reels that have a strong signal on one channel and a weak signal on the other. L/R even-steven now.
Just set the double-y up on my system. My previously VG UK mono Please Please Me (XEX 421 1N/422-1N) now plays VG++. I wish I'd set this up a long time ago.
Gotta say, I tried this (double-Y from my turntable to my receiver's phono stage)...and I didn't hear ANY difference whatsoever. Which leads me to believe: 1. I'm doing it wrong 2. I have tin ears 3. There is a difference, but it's so miniscule I can't detect it
Well, that would explain it...I tried the 2013 "Kind of Blue" reissue, 2008 "Pet Sounds" reissue and "The Animals is Here" 2013 RSD EP. I don't have any pre-70s mono records.
I don't understand the Kind of Blue mono release. By their own admission, the original mono master is long gone, so no one has ever heard it. So they made a mono release by combining the channels. Why is that cool? The convenience factor?
I don't get it either. The original mono was done using a single microphone, and those originals are one step closer to the master tape than the stereos, which had to be mixed down from the 3-track session tapes to create the master tape.
I've also noticed, and I know it isn't a new thing, but Kind of Blue has become a huge hipster album. I don't know why that bugs me, but it does. Maybe because it diminishes it as a work of music, specifically the advancements it made in modal jazz.
I certainly don't mind this. Hey, the more people who listen to it, the merrier. It's up to you to inform listeners as to why the album is musically important. ;-)
For one thing, having Wynton Kelly or Bill Evans in the center channel helps present a more coherent sound, in my opinion. I really dislike hard panning on rhythm section instruments.
Combining the channels? I thought they used the original three track tapes and recreated the mono mix. Personally, I love the mono LP and prefer it to the stereo. http://www.analogplanet.com/content...ic-reissue-sonylegacy-analog-planet-exclusive
The word hipster has become a derogatory term for anything related to youth culture. That's silly, IMO. I don't understand why youths liking one of the greatest albums of all time diminishes it's importance. Maybe b/c in reality, it doesn't.
I use the reverse, a I use similar tricks to play British two track tapes on my four track reel to reel, only it's a single channel out that I split into two. Actually, my H.H. Scott preamp allows me to just use a switch to choose left or right only, so if I'm on that system, I don't even need to mess with cables.
Yes, sort of the same thing. With the original mono, the mono session tape was used as the source for the lacquers. With the stereo (and this new mono), a master tape had to be made from the session tapes, then mastered onto lacquers.
I just thought that combining channels and creating a dedicated mix were two very different things in practice (most of the time).
If you have a stereo cartridge, and you're selecting left or right channel playback only, then you're not summing the channels to get rid of out of phase surface noise.
I'm talking about playing two track mono tapes on a stereo 4 track machine. For mono records, I've got mono carts, or, if I'm lazy, a mono switch on two out of three of my systems.
I was listening to the new Mono Rubber Soul from the new Mono Box Set and it was very sibilant! I was very disappointed since I was reading nothing but great things about these records. I did a search online to see if anyone else was having the same problem & I came to this thread. I just hooked up the double Y and played it again. WOW! It sounds like a different record! Now I know with my own ears what the big deal is! FANTASTIC!!! I can't thank you enough for sharing this tip! I don't care why it works, I'm just glad it does! You rock!
Strangely the sibilance in mono vocals is the result of unwanted vertical movement of the stylus as connected in stereo. When connected in mono, the vertical component is cancelled electrically, and with it the sibilance. For playing old mono records, the double Y also effectively reduces or eliminates noise and distortion artifacts from a worn mono groove.
This might be a dumb question and I have a feeling the answer is here somewhere, but is there any point using the Y-cable trick with the new mono Beatles LPs? I have a basic stereo cart (Denon DL 110).
