How are you playing your precious MONO Vinyl?

faustuss

"The only mono’s I have are reissues which are all lacquered with modern stereo heads these days. I simply use my stereo micro line cartridge and throw the mono switch on my phono preamp and I’m golden. No muss no fuss!" 

Exactly what I did for years, I used to feel sorry for people who didn’t have a MONO switch.

Until, I read here what dwette and I and others who know are saying:

A True Mono Cartridge is BETTER. I clarify that by saying, a little, some, a lot, a whole heck of a lot better (depends on each LP content, engineering, condition).

Many things Phono, I emphasize the difference between ’prefer’ and ’better’. I prefer my mx110z's MM Phono RIAA EQ to any other I have heard in my system, I would not claim it is better, your ears/your system ....

In this case, notice I said BETTER! (In anyone's system)

To @dwette ​​​​@elliottbnewcombjr point, if you are going through the trouble of maintaining analog setup, buying mono vinyl, then why settle for stereo cart with mono switch. That’s like investing in a classic car, detailing it every weekend, then filling it with 87-octane and calling it “close enough….LOL! 

I am committed to the full analog ritual—cleaning vinyl, precision tonearms, chasing dead-quiet backgrounds. I am not going to cheat myself out of the magic of true mono playback. 

What I gather after reading here and online, a mono cartridge isn’t just about collapsing channels; its about, reduced noise (no vertical modulation pickup) and matching proper stylus profile for mono grooves. 

Once installed, I am hoping for a fuller, more centered imaging that feels solid and alive, not smeared in any possible context.

And what about honoring the original intent of the recording?  

Thank you all for your valuable input! 

https://dgmono.com/mono-cartridge-database/

Those of you who play mono records cut back in the hey day when that was the only format but today reissue producers don’t want to try and sell records that customers have to jump through hoops to play them back properly. Mono reissues are at a marketing disadvantage already just because they’re mono.

The only reconfiguring they might do is and probably electronically, is to limit the cutting head’s movements lateral only to reduce noise and keep in check out of phase anomalies if they were to occur, its the same stylus profile, geometry etc.

The advantage to using your preamps mono switch is to cancel the surface noise picked by your stereo cartridges vertical motion (the opposite stereo channel) and most reissue vinyl is so meticulously pressed these days that it’s free of surface noise most of the time anyway and can be played just fine with systems that lack the ability to combine the channels. Oh, don’t tell me about that $20 repress you bought that was mastered from a dubiously disclosed source mastered and pressed who knows where! Believe what you want though if it makes you feel better.

 sorted the list OP gave us

1st by tracking force, lightest on top

2nd by stylus type, line contact at the top (all line contact are subtle variants of original shibata, avoiding patent disputes) (note no SAS with further increased contact area seems to exist)

https://dgmono.com/mono-cartridge-database/

The new Ortofon 2M Mono SE VERSION wins both categories, and happens to be the most affordable at $600! That's a solid recommendation if I ever saw one.

ANYONE OWN/HEARD IT?

My AT33 is boron, better than aluminum, however, I would choose the lighter 1.5g tracking NEW OEM Ortofon 2M Mono SE over my created 2.0g tracking cartridge. I did this a few years ago, the new SE didn't exist. 

“Oh, don’t tell me about that $20 repress you bought that was mastered from a dubiously disclosed source mastered and pressed who knows where! ”
@faustuss 

This reminds me of someone like disheveled, bitter audiophile in a dusty record store, side-eyeing a younger collector holding a shrink-wrapped LP :-)

As far believing, I get that we see this differently; we all have our own perspectives. 

Peace!