Vinyl Asylum Welcome Licorice Pizza (LP) lovers! Setup guides and Vinyl FAQ.

---

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ Vinyl Asylum ]

---

[ Alert Moderator ]

---

Today Was Day One Here …

Posted by Charlie F. (A) on September 14, 2014 at 16:55:10

In Reply to: How do *you* play the Beatles mono recordings? posted by Amphissa on September 13, 2014 at 10:49:36:

... which should be interpreted as “The first day that the two Beatle-holics at this residence began hearing discs from the mono vinyl box.”

The direct answer to Amphissa’s initial question: I played ’em as if they were normal stereo pressings; to wit, they were spun on a VPI Scout 1.1 with Ortofon 2M Black cart, running through a Phonomena II phono pre-amp. As someone in one of the threads has opined, the straight-ahead stereo system yields excellent sound. While I don’t doubt that a dedicated mono signal source might well have more coherence, I can say that I will be fine from now onward with what I’ve heard today.

Rather than start yet another new “Beatles Mono Vinyl Box” thread, I'll give y’all (it’s legitimate: I’m from Alabama) our initial impressions here.

We’ve both been Beatles fans since 1964. (We still have her [totally trashed] Vee-Jay “Introducing ... The Beatles” and my 45 of “I Want To Hold Your Hand”.) I have several original Parlophone monos (not one of which is in VG++ or better condition) and the mono CD box.

We played the first two LPs (“Please Please Me” and “Meet The Beatles”) and “Magical Mystery Tour” today.

Regarding the music/remastering, as Zippy the Mutant might’ve said, “Three Thumbs Up!"

Both of us were smiling almost non-stop, tapping our toes, and sipping perhaps a bit too much tequila, Grand Marnier, and lime juice (her) or Gosling’s rum and Coke (me). All the superlatives heaped by fellow Vinyl Asylum denizens held true. Immediacy, broad sound presence, clarity, and wonderful bass were there pretty well all the time. I said “broad sound presence” instead of “... soundstage” only to indicate that the mono sound – by definition carrying no ‘placement’ point information – filled the room from side to side. Huge.

I have the German Apple pressing of MMT, which, while not ‘officially Hörzu,’ has been compared favorably therewith, including the true stereo mixes and wonderful bass. The mono box mix is (obviously, fer cryin’ out loud) different from that, but, after only the one hearing, I think I would choose this version if ever I were forced to pick but one to keep.

As to the pressings, two of the discs were what we’ve been reading from other VA folks who’ve heard the mono box: very quiet. Unfortunately, side 1 of MMT has a “swoosh” that seems to last from the “track 1 to track 2 between” through the final cut. It is truly distracting, I think, only in the ‘betweens,’ but I'm going to have to listen to the side later, sans Gosling’s to be sure about this.

We are both looking forward to a heaping helping of The Four Lads across the upcoming week.

I have truly enjoyed the week-plus anticipation of this box and Day One’s realization thereof.

Happy Sunday evening,

-=- Charlie F.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

The Cable Cooker

---

[ Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]

---

[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]

---