How are you playing your precious MONO Vinyl?

[DasguteOhr]

There's no such thing as a mono amp and preamp. Obviously amps come as mono or stereo, but what I mean is that there is no difference in signal processing.

Whether you use a single or two speakers is a matter of taste (and loudness). I use both setups. When I listen to a singie speaker, I simply disconnect the other.

The only "mono specific" equipment is the cartridge. A mono cartridge is optimized for mono "grooves". Note that mono recordings after roughly 1968 were pressed on stereo grooves, so a mono cartridge is not relevant for modern day mono LPs...

As far as EQ curves go, different curves apply whenever the RIAA norm was not used, which could be an entire topic on its own. There are stereo records that don't use RIAA...

For orginal mono lps you need cartridge with 25um needle. Almost every record label had its own equalization curve. For example, Columbia.

 

[hopkins]

For orginal mono lps you need cartridge with 25um needle. Almost every record label had its own equalization curve. For example, Columbia.View attachment 149832

Yes, check out the link in my previous post as well.

 

[Lynnot]

Old microgroove records are better off with 25µ needles. From early sixties onwards I mostly use a 17µ tip.
With respect to equalisation please look here: https://www.whatsbestforum.com/thre...rticular-weapons-of-choice.39155/post-1064978

Best regards,
Tony

 

[jeff1225]

I just bought a Shelter 501 mk2 to dip my toe into mono carts and I’m amazed how great it sounds. I should have bought a mono cart a long time ago.

 

[Yeti]

Anyone using an MC A mono? I rather like what my SPU Royal N does with a mono record, my mono Decca Maroon doesn’t always win the comparison. A replicant 100 stylus doesn’t seem to get lost in a mono groove the way some of the other fine line styli like the microridge or Ogura PA did.

 

[Lynnot]

I've got an Ortofon SPU mono (=G-shell) unfortunately in need of a retip (it lost its diamond).

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

I have DaVa mono in The Peak arn

 

[godofwealth]

I like my mono records... unique sound of that particular period in history appeals to me.
Stereo is a night and day improvement over mono in my opinion.

Not in my experience of having listened to several hundreds of mono recordings from the 1930s-1960s (classic jazz, rock, folk etc.). Anywhere from Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Sarah Vaughan, The Weavers, Frank Sinatra, etc. etc.

In each and every case, the original mono blows away the "fake" stereo versions every time. It's not just my opinion. Bob Dylan hated the fake stereo recordings, as did The Beatles. As did almost every great artist from that time period. The record companies sold "stereo" because they could make a few extra nickels per album in sales.

Here's my mono rig: a restored Garrard 301, SME 312S, and the Miyajima Infinity Zero true mono cartridge. Sonic bliss is listening to John Coltrane's legendary recordings on mono vinyl. The stereo versions seem so lame in comparison. Of course, there are sonic reasons on vinyl why stereo sucks. There is no lateral modulation in mono, and the Miyajima cannot play stereo recordings. You get astonishingly clear sound with minimal ticks and pops, which are always present in stereo recordings, even new ones.

 

[jeff1225]

Not in my experience of having listened to several hundreds of mono recordings from the 1930s-1960s (classic jazz, rock, folk etc.). Anywhere from Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Sarah Vaughan, The Weavers, Frank Sinatra, etc. etc.

In each and every case, the original mono blows away the "fake" stereo versions every time. It's not just my opinion. Bob Dylan hated the fake stereo recordings, as did The Beatles. As did almost every great artist from that time period. The record companies sold "stereo" because they could make a few extra nickels per album in sales.

Here's my mono rig: a restored Garrard 301, SME 312S, and the Miyajima Infinity Zero true mono cartridge. Sonic bliss is listening to John Coltrane's legendary recordings on mono vinyl. The stereo versions seem so lame in comparison. Of course, there are sonic reasons on vinyl why stereo sucks. There is no lateral modulation in mono, and the Miyajima cannot play stereo recordings. You get astonishingly clear sound with minimal ticks and pops, which are always present in stereo recordings, even new ones.

View attachment 155120

At one of his show demonstrations, Jeff Catalano played mono and stereo versions of jazz albums. Fantastic presentation and I think that everyone left that room as a believer in mono.

 

[gleeds]

At one of his show demonstrations, Jeff Catalano played mono and stereo versions of jazz albums. Fantastic presentation and I think that everyone left that room as a believer in mono.

Leave it to Jeff!

 

[jeff1225]

Leave it to Jeff!

Everyone named Jeff wins in audio

 

[treitz3]

Even those Jeff's that have a differing spelling!!! Geoff Castellucci comes to mind...

My apologies for the off topic post. I'll see myself out now...

Tom

 

[jabingo]

The AS Monophonic is my new acquisition. It's called -TRUE MONO - One channel-,
Which confused me at first.

Why one channel ?

Unless you use historical phono amplifiers, modern high-end mono phono amplifiers are all stereo devices in which the two stereo channels are ultimately bridged. With a real one channel phono stage, crosstalk between the channels is impossible.

I was very surprised that the difference would be so clear. The AS Monophonic can simply equalise everything mono. Vinyl and coarse groove.
I got this Monophonic with the AS Try out-Testcase. After testing I knew what to do.

 

[jabingo]

It took several years. From my first Monophonic, 1st series.
Numbers from 1-10. Each combination of number is an international EQ curve, shown in a list.
Equalisation via EQ codes numbers. It was a world first at the time.



A fundamental simplification to enable music collectors without prior knowledge to set the correct equalisation with maximum certainty. Stepless as the old SCOTT 121C from 1957.

 

[No Regrets]

So, I have a question for those of you who have more experience than I with mono recordings.

I have a nice vinyl collection consisting of both classical and jazz records; some of which are mono.
My current table only accommodates one tonearm and I am not in the mood for swapping arms or cartridges.
However, at some point down the road, I am hoping to have a J Sikora Reference table which would accommodate more than one arm.
If there would be a huge and noticeable sonic benefit to having a mono cartridge, I would then add a second arm with a dedicated mono cartridge at that time.

But just as for an example. Below is a cellphone recording of my stereo Benz Zebrawood Ruby S-Class cartridge playing The Magnificent Thad Jones - "April in Paris" Blue Note - "King" - Mono - Vinyl recording thru both of my speakers. Would using a dedicated mono cartridge on a mono record like this, net me any significant sonic gains over what I am currently doing now?

As always, listening thru a decent set of headphones may sound better and more enjoyable than thru cell phone/laptop speakers.

Thank you so much for listening and sharing any honest opinions my have in regards to my question.

Best wishes,
Don

 

[Vinylfan]

So, I have a question for those of you who have more experience than I with mono recordings.

I have a nice vinyl collection consisting of both classical and jazz records; some of which are mono.
My current table only accommodates one tonearm and I am not in the mood for swapping arms or cartridges.
However, at some point down the road, I am hoping to have a J Sikora Reference table which would accommodate more than one arm.
If there would be a huge and noticeable sonic benefit to having a mono cartridge, I would then add a second arm with a dedicated mono cartridge at that time.

But just as for an example. Below is a cellphone recording of my stereo Benz Zebrawood Ruby S-Class cartridge playing The Magnificent Thad Jones - "April in Paris" Blue Note - "King" - Mono - Vinyl recording thru both of my speakers. Would using a dedicated mono cartridge on a mono record like this, net me any significant sonic gains over what I am currently doing now?

As always, listening thru a decent set of headphones may sound better and more enjoyable than thru cell phone/laptop speakers.

Thank you so much for listening and sharing any honest opinions my have in regards to my question.

Best wishes,
Don

As with everything in our hobby, experiences can vary, but I’d be happy to share mine. A few years ago, I decided to add a second tonearm to my setup. I was already enjoying most mono releases using a Ortofon Verismo cartridge on my Brinkmann Taurus table. Then I added a Kuzma 9-inch tonearm with a Miyajima Infinity mono cartridge and their SUT

I can honestly say the difference was significant IMO. Being able to play the same record using both arms (each with their own dedicated cartridge) really highlighted those differences. I’ve never regretted adding the second arm with the mono cartridge to my system.

 

[No Regrets]

I can honestly say the difference was significant IMO

Thank you so much for your reply! You've got some really great gear
When you say the differences were significant by adding the second arm and new mono cartridge; would you be able to describe what some of those sonic differences you experience are?

Thanks much,
Don

 

[Vinylfan]

Thank you so much for your reply! You've got some really great gear
When you say the differences were significant by adding the second arm and new mono cartridge; would you be able to describe what some of those sonic differences you experience are?

Thanks

Adding the second arm with the Miyajima Infinity Mono made a big impact. Since it’s a true mono design it only responds to lateral groove movement. That resulted in a noticeable drop in groove noise, plus a jump in midrange presence, body, and overall tonal weight. Mono records just sound more alive and focused, with a richness that wasn’t there when using a stereo cart.

 

[groovemaster]

It took several years. From my first Monophonic, 1st series.
Numbers from 1-10. Each combination of number is an international EQ curve, shown in a list.
Equalisation via EQ codes numbers. It was a world first at the time.

View attachment 155275

A fundamental simplification to enable music collectors without prior knowledge to set the correct equalisation with maximum certainty. Stepless as the old SCOTT 121C from 1957.

This must be around 2012?
First version of the Monophonic. www.Audiospecials.de did not exist at this time.
With Gibson Guitar knobs. Really sexy. Also One channel technology and stepless EQ to get always the best result by ear.
The roots are excellent.