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How are you playing your precious MONO Vinyl?

I am about to invest in MONO Vinyl playback setup.

The goal -  pure, undiluted music straight down the center. 

The plan - dedicated 2nd tonearm + mono cartridge + phono

After 6 long months of waiting, my Woodsong plinth with dual arm boards schedule to arrive next month. 

I came across a product that peaked my interest. The Monaural Phono Amplifier - Aurorasound EQ-100. No reviews, so I am wondering if anyone tried it yet? 

⬆️ Is EQ-100 or something similar, absolute necessary from a purist perspective or should I take the pragmatic path and use the ‘Mono’ switch on my Integrated with a built in phono?

There are ofcourse pros and cons to both approaches so I am seeking advice from folks who have  compared  both options or adopted another alternative in their vinyl setup. 

Thank you for your time! 

lalitk
elliottbnewcombjr
5,838 posts
 

note that Most (not all) Mono Cartridges' compliance material is designed to RESTRICT vertical movement.

from Audio Technica,

"Generally speaking, it is possible to play a mono LP using a stereo phono cartridge, but if it is a true mono record, better performance can be obtained by using a true mono cartridge. So, what defines a true mono record? Vinyl records can be either mono or stereo and each differs greatly in the way that it is recorded and cut. Cutting refers to the mechanical process of imprinting the recorded signal into the record surface. A heated cutting stylus literally cuts the signal into the soft surface of a lacquer-coated blank disc from which vinyl copies will ultimately be made. True mono records are cut laterally: The cutting stylus moves from side to side, cutting the same signal in both record groove walls. We refer to this as horizontal modulation. The playback stylus, therefore, requires compliance (movement) in the horizontal direction only. By contrast, stereo records are cut in both lateral and vertical directions. The cutting stylus moves not only from side to side but up and down as well, therefore the stereo playback stylus requires compliance in both directions.

A stereo cartridge will never quite faithfully reproduce the true mono signal accurately because it is not restricted to horizontal compliance only. Some phase and tracking errors will exist. Additionally, there will be some amount of cross talk between the cartridge’s independent left and right channels. A true mono cartridge eliminates these problems by producing only one signal and distributing the signal to both channels equally; the signal appearing in the left and right channels will be identical. This arrangement produces a sound that is more focused (centred) and has more weight (punch). An additional benefit of the design is that of surface noise reduction. When the same exact signal is reproduced at the same time by two speakers, the signal-to-noise ratio is improved.

Note: A mono cartridge should not be used to play back a stereo LP record unless it is specifically stated that the cartridge has appropriate compliance in the vertical direction. Our AT33MONO moving coil cartridge is one such cartridge.

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random finds re: Mono Switch might improve even when using a true mono cartridge

Below from Ortofon's mono cartridge page ...



Advantages of using a mono cartridge to play mono records
If you play a mono record with a stereo cartridge you will not achieve the same signal in the two channels due to imperfections such as crosstalk, noise, phase errors, tracking error, antiskating and distortion. This difference between the channels will result in an unstable and partially fuzzy image. A mono switch, to some extent, can improve this.

Playing the same record with a mono cartridge will have none of the aforementioned problems, as this cartridge only produces one signal, which afterwards is directed to both channels in the system. This will provide a much more forceful and stable image with a fuller sound.

Another significant advantage of using a mono cartridge to play mono records is the absence of response to vertical movement. This means that a mono cartridge is essentially impervious to the pinching effect which comes into action when the stylus is pushed vertically upward in very narrow grooves. In addition, the response to dust, dirt and wear will be reduced substantially as the vertical component will not be heard. The final result will be a much more clean and noiseless reproduction of the mono record. These effects simply cannot be achieved merely by the use of a mono switch.
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https://michaelfidler.com/articles/phono-stage-mono-switching/

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because a stereo cartridge has no choice but respond in both planes, anything internally that causes phase shifts or differences in inductance and capacitance will affect the output when summed.

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On a mono Lp the only things in the vertical plane are noise and distortion.

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look for Graham Slee's comments here

https://www.hifisystemcomponents.com/forum/mono-switch_topic4830.html

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Note that you really only need a mono switch for LPs made before 1968 or so. Mono records made after that are cut with a stereo lathe.

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viridian's avatar
viridian
5,228 posts
 

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/how-are-you-playing-your-precious-mono-vinyl.40759/#post-1049552

dwette
286 posts
 

@elliottbnewcombjr 

Note that you really only need a mono switch for LPs made before 1968 or so. Mono records made after that are cut with a stereo lathe.

That’s correct but not 100% correct. When mono records are cut with a stereo lathe, the cutting head is reconfigured for cutting mono. It’s not quite the same thing as cutting stereo. Kevin Gray has explained that in one of his interviews or white papers (I can’t remember which).

Use a mono switch for mono records cut since the mid-60s too. It can improve the sound and reduce noise.

lalitk's avatar
lalitk OP
5,683 posts
 

Thank you all for your feedback. Lot of good advice / information here for anyone looking to dip their toes into mono playback. For clarity, I do not intend to play mono vinyl with a stereo cart or swap headshell’s. I want my mono playback setup as ‘set it and forget it’. 

And I do not own any pre RIAA mono Vinyl yet but still remain curious to hear back from anyone have a direct experience with EQ-100. I think it’s an interesting product with really cool retro design. 

@elliottbnewcombjr 

RE: Woodsong plinth…not sure what kind of feet I’ll get with my plinth. Chris assured me his best work to date so I am really looking forward to experiencing the final product. 

elliottbnewcombjr
5,838 posts
 

A Happy Mono Day: at VAS, and at Home.

I’m so lucky to live near and have Steve and Ray Leung of VAS as friends as well as problem solvers. They are quite busy.

They rewired the tonearm I bought on eBay (came with no right channel), and put a new boron cantilever/microridge stylus on the AT33PTG/II MC Mono body I bought from Yahoo Auctions with a broken cantilever for this purpose. This advanced combo does not exist unless you have it built.

I drove down before lunch, picked them up, got home, re-installed and re-calibrated all 3 active arms: Stereo MC/Stereo MM/Mono MC.

OMG that MC Mono cartridge sounds awesome, far better than I expected, far better than my Grado ME+ Elliptical which does a darn good job with Mono LPs for only $185.. I am glad I spent what totalled around $600.

I played this LP for the 1st time (one of the 4,000 lps my friend left me, mostly jazz, many Mono, the majority played once, a few times at most).

Mine’s correct reissue, I just found out this was a misprint version, side A repeated by error on side B, but the players, notes are the same,

I highly recommend it, and exactly what I mean about players making their mark with excellently recorded Mono techniques. Read the notes, awesome players all.

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Ray checked and cleaned 5 of my cartridges with their 100 power microscope, I looked at the last one, it’s amazing to view them so magnified. I want one!!!!

He identified each of the various stylus shapes (SAS; Shibata; Van den Hull;  MicroLinear; Conical) within seconds without hesitation.

Then he cleaned them, all the way down into the suspension pocket, two of them were tricky to clean, you and I would have shaking hands, he has no hesitation. I think I keep them clean, and yet ...... one had some metal specks, I bet I had it out on my workbench in my shop where my magnifying shop light is, and the cartridge’s magnets pulled some metal dust out of the carpet tiles I have on the surface. I’ll try to remember to be more careful in the future.

He confirmed they all are in good shape and most happily have even wear, i.e. former owners and I are getting the anti-skate correct, and the sellers told the truth, it’s nice to have your ears confirmed with facts. After all, I/we are capable of hearing what we want to or expect to hear.

 

He said he can try in the future to put a new stylus in the beryllium cantilevers, but no guarantee, they break very easily.

I specifically asked, and Ray confirmed what I have read elsewhere, MOST cartridges they rebuild, the stylus have uneven wear, which confirms MOST people are not getting their anti-skate correct. (that’s us folks)

I no longer trust the arm’s dials, I use a blank side of an LP, and adjust to counteract active skate, not what the dial says, what physically happens while the lp is spinning and I adjust. And I re-check both tracking force and anti-skate frequently.

This protractor one side/blank other side

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MU6AD2E?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1

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btw, on an off chance (they have everything) I took them one of the beveled washers I used to repair my JVC Victor UA-7082 Tonearm’s Counterweight Sag.

Sure enough, they have a messed up UA-7082, so I was able to let them know my experiences and sent them photos and measurements. Their brass piece is a disaster, bent, stripped threads, but they are very resourseful.

My repair method allows holding the inner part with a tool when tightening the counterweight, then assemble into the post last, that is a critical difference when the internal part is a mess. 

https://www.audiogon.com/systems/12014

I am so glad I bought and repaired it, it is a wonderful tonearm when working.

I’ll be listening again soon, all 3 headshels allow azimuth adjustment

Notice the yellow levels on two of the arms (adjust arm height so level when playing, cantilever suspension engaged), I’m leaving them on for now, near the pivot, an extra 2+ grams. I noticed, Steve uses VPI with several uni-pivot arms ready, each have a smaller level on the headshell, I’m gonna look into that.

 

 

 

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