Back to mono baby !
Well recorded and well reproduced vintage mono recordings sound wonderful. Many are surprised at the sense of depth and realism possible with a mono LP. You can hear layering among instruments, space around musicians, and studio ambiance. While everything happens in the middle, you can hear so much depth that it sounds like the back of the recording reaches all the way to the horizon.
I am a proponent of using true mono cartridges to play pre 1960 mono LPs. There are very few true mono cartridges sold today. Most described as mono are in fact stereo cartridges modified to output a mono signal. The modifications can be as simple as internal summing of connections, or as complex as reorienting the pair of existing stereo coils. With either (or both) the cartridge still responds to and generates a signal from vertical content which can potentially affect what is heard by the listener. A true mono cartridge only responds to horizontal content.
Cost can be less than $100 to several $1000 for a true mono cartridge. At the low end, many are happy with the venerable GE VRII for which new styli are available. The Denon 102 is available for less than $300. Ortofon CG25DI MKII lists for about $900 but is available for much less.
If your intent is to play pre 1960 LPs, then the investment in a true mono cartridge may be justified (but only you can make that decision).
If you expect to play mono LPs from the mid 60's forward, and current mono reissues, then a new mono (modified stereo) cartridge would be fine.
Well recorded and well reproduced vintage mono recordings sound wonderful. Many are surprised at the sense of depth and realism possible with a mono LP. You can hear layering among instruments, space around musicians, and studio ambiance. While everything happens in the middle, you can hear so much depth that it sounds like the back of the recording reaches all the way to the horizon.
I am a proponent of using true mono cartridges to play pre 1960 mono LPs. There are very few true mono cartridges sold today. Most described as mono are in fact stereo cartridges modified to output a mono signal. The modifications can be as simple as internal summing of connections, or as complex as reorienting the pair of existing stereo coils. With either (or both) the cartridge still responds to and generates a signal from vertical content which can potentially affect what is heard by the listener. A true mono cartridge only responds to horizontal content.
Cost can be less than $100 to several $1000 for a true mono cartridge. At the low end, many are happy with the venerable GE VRII for which new styli are available. The Denon 102 is available for less than $300. Ortofon CG25DI MKII lists for about $900 but is available for much less.
If your intent is to play pre 1960 LPs, then the investment in a true mono cartridge may be justified (but only you can make that decision).
If you expect to play mono LPs from the mid 60's forward, and current mono reissues, then a new mono (modified stereo) cartridge would be fine.