How are you playing your precious MONO Vinyl?

@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.

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. 

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.

 

 

 

@elliottbnewcombjr 

Happy for you, don’t you love when everything falls into place. 

@elliottbnewcombjr ;

danmar123

Nice setup!

for those here who want to know the difference, i.e. "that’s good enough for my small need".

You are a good one to tell us what happens in your system with your particular Mono LPs.

a. play the stereo cartridge with the preamp in Mono position

b. play the mono cartridge, perhaps name a few LPs it makes an ’easily noticeable’ improvement

b1. leave switch in Stereo position (no need to use mono position with a true mono cartridge) (especially interesting for others who don’t have a stereo/mono switch, i.e. you don’t need both

b2. move to Mono position, in your case, is it just habit, or do you hear a benefit?.

 

Thank You!

I’ll try this weekend & take notes. Recovering from spine surgery 7 weeks ago. I haven’t even turned my 2 channel system on since the beginning of March. To be continued. Dan