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Mono Cartridge - What would be the advantage?

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Posted on September 19, 2014 at 11:37:41
samurai7595
Audiophile

Posts: 348
Location: Canada
Joined: November 1, 2007
 With the release of The Beatles mono vinyl box set, what advantage would there be (sound-wise) in setting up a mono cartridge (e.g. Ortofon 2M Mono SE) on a turntable, in a 2-channel (stereo) music system?

 

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RE: Mono Cartridge - What would be the advantage?, posted on September 19, 2014 at 14:53:43
John Elison
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Posts: 23900
Location: Central Kentucky
Joined: December 20, 2000
Contributor
  Since: January 29, 2004
 I guess you just have to try it to find out. As far as I'm concerned, there's no advantage whatsoever. That's why I don't own a mono cartridge. Of course, I don't own the Beatles Mono Box Set either. ;-)

Good luck,
John Elison

 

Since it's not a true mono record, nothing, posted on September 19, 2014 at 19:20:44
vinyl1
Audiophile

Posts: 3948
Joined: October 3, 2001
 All modern monos are stereo cuts with the same music in each channel.

 

I'm curious, posted on September 19, 2014 at 23:05:55
M3 lover
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Posts: 6604
Location: SW Mich
Joined: May 29, 2005
Contributor
  Since: July 4, 2007
 vinyl1, from my reading all mono (current) reissues are cut with stereo cutter heads since mono heads are no longer available. But I thought that related to the profile of the head? Are they not fed a mono signal?

Also, how do you get more than one channel from a mono signal?

I've had some confusion about mono recordings before but now you've added to that. :^(

"The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing, if you can fake that you've got it made." Groucho

 

A mono cutter head...., posted on September 20, 2014 at 04:08:00
vinyl1
Audiophile

Posts: 3948
Joined: October 3, 2001
 ...cuts a U-shaped groove that goes back and forth, but not up and down. There is only one signal encoded. A stereo cutter cuts a V-shaped groove in which there are two channels, one on each side of the groove. Both vertical and horizontal movement of the stylus are significant.

 

"Also, how do you get more than one channel from a mono signal?" I have a mono IRON BUTTERFLY that when ..., posted on September 20, 2014 at 17:43:34
J. S. Bach
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Posts: 9578
Location: Chester, SC
Joined: November 28, 2001
Contributor
  Since: June 29, 2004
 ...Ron Bushy starts wailing away in his drum solo, the drums seem to move around; a blind friend (super sensitive hearing) noticed the same thing.


Later Gator,
Dave
Find more about Weather in Chester, SC

 

RE: A mono cutter head...., posted on September 21, 2014 at 11:03:26
M3 lover
Audiophile

Posts: 6604
Location: SW Mich
Joined: May 29, 2005
Contributor
  Since: July 4, 2007
 vinyl1, I am not familiar with U-shaped grooves in LPs. Here is information from "Audio Cyclopedia" by Howard Tremaine:


13.30 . . . In the normal recording of records the groove walls form an angle of 90 degrees, which is particularly important in recording stereophonic records using the 45/45-degree system. For records cut before the advent of stereo, lateral records were cut using an 87-degree included angle stylus, on the assumption that after processing the groove grew to 90 degrees.


So yes, mono LPs were cut with lateral motion (not back and forth). Stereo LPs are made possible by the 45/45 system which introduced vertical motion at the same time. But that does not sound like a U-shaped groove.

Now the question is: are modern mono reissues cut with a one channel signal and lateral motion only, or are two identical channel signals cut with both lateral and vertical motion?

Note that either could be done with stereo cutter heads since apparently mono heads are no longer available.

"The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing, if you can fake that you've got it made." Groucho

 

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