Mono LP's?


Hi there,
I understand this is a silly question but those of you with more knowledge than I can clear this up for me. Do I need a special cartridge to play mono lp's? I only ask because I've seen mono castridges available but do not know if they are necessary to play the mono's

Thanks for your time.
Peter
mariasplunge

Showing 1 response by eldartford

If you use a stereo cartridge you need to jumper the left and right signals, preferebly right at the cartridge. However, if you also play stereo LPs it is more convenient to do this in the preamp with a switch. DON'T do it at the power amp output!!

What this does is eliminate the cartridge's sensitivity to vertical groove modulation, which in the case of a mono recording is pure noise. Some cartridges sold as "Mono" are actually stereo models with the jumper installed internaly.

Old records, especially 78 rpm ones, should be played with a larger "needle". Some cartridge mfrs. offer such stylus for their stereo cartridges.