How are you playing your precious MONO Vinyl?

Using a stereo cartridge on a mono LP is not going to harm the LP.  No way. You won’t get the best possible SQ, but there is no harm done.  However, many stereo LPs marketed at the dawn of the stereo era do say on the back of the cover, usually in small print, not to use a mono cartridge, for the reason mentioned already, the lack of vertical compliance of most mono cartridges of that era might damage the groove walls that carry stereo information.

For the umpteenth time, using a mono switch when playing a mono LP with a stereo cartridge is not per se going to increase noise because of "sum"-ing. Phase cancellation takes care of that, and reduction, not summing, of common mode noise is the principle benefit of using the mono switch.

lewm, “early” LP’s in my collection with non-RIAA EQs are from 1948-mid 50’s.  Sometimes the jacket notes will say “AES playback curve recommended” or similar.  However, often there are no notes.  There are a number of resources online to help identify the proper EQ.  My understanding is that RIAA was universally adopted by about 1960.

I’ve read that the EQ used by RCA in the early 50s became the RIAA standard.

I believe most records from 1955 on use RIAA. My phono-stage has additional equalization settings for EMI, Columbia and FFRR (Decca) but I don't have any records (mono or otherwise) that were mastered with those curves. The 1950s OGs I have already use RIAA.

dogberry

that ’damage’ comment was from AI, sorry I reposted it.

It is true that an advanced stylus shape with much larger contact area makes less wear (than spherical/elliptical shapes), thus over a lot of plays (unlikely with a large collection), increased wear will occur using either a conical or elliptical shape, due to both less contact area and typically higher tracking force.

Wear is normal, I would not use the word ’damage’ for wear, even though I prefer light tracking linear stylus shapes (Stereo or Mono) (1.0g; 1.25g) because of the reduced wear while hearing preferred performance.

My previously worn LP’s (mine from High School/recently bought) (played with prior spherical/elliptical stylus shapes) sound both better and quieter when thoroughly cleaned (vigorously scrubbed) and now played with linear contact profiles.

• "from AI: (contains errors):

• "True Mono vs. Stereo Cartridges:

• It’s important to note that a "true mono" cartridge has only two pins, (wrong) while a stereo cartridge has four. Using a stereo cartridge on a mono LP can cause damage to the record. "

.............. Both my true Mono cartridges have 4 pins .......................... 

MI (uses MM Phono Input) Grado ME+ Elliptical

MC AT33PTG/II Mono rebuilt with advanced stylus shape by VAS

My choice of SUT was lucky in every way, it has 3 front selectable inputs for my 3 arms, thus only 1 out to my preamp’s MM Phono In

and it has PASS for my MM and Grado MI, and 4 optional xfactors and resultant impedances for Low Output MC. 

Multiple arms: Choice of Tonearms, Height Adjustment, SUT, solving high/low multiple inputs, I got help with it all here, and my choices turned out to be both good and lucky

I don’t use height adjustment for ’perfect’ SRA/VTA, that’s too fussy for me, I go for the standard ’arm level when stylus down in the groove’, and interchangeable cartridge’s playing heights do vary. I put these levels on the arm, back near the pivot, with a speck of tack, balance them, then add tracking weight .... You can leave it on or off depending on .....

amazon, 10 inexpensive levels to put on Tonearm

SUT Info

Until my 2019 Overhaul, I avoided Low Output MC because they ALL had HUM back when I was younger (ears better then too). This SUT has ZERO HUM, and is not fussy where you put it. I have had it in several locations, now it is under the Plinth, facing right side, near the TT81 motor, facing the preamp and amp. 

I have an SME-309 tonearm  which has a removable headshell. I have both the Orthofon Cadenza Black & the Cadenza Mono on different shells, with the same hardware on my GAE. When spinning mono's, I just change the heads, check the azimuth & toggle the mono switch on my ModWright 9.0.

I have  over 40 mono Lps & counting.