Mono recordings


What's the attraction of mono recordings? I have a couple CDs (Pet Sounds  and Cream e.g.) that contain both stereo and mono tracks and a couple mono lps (using a stereo cartridge). I always prefer the stereo cut. What am I missing?
rockyboy

Showing 3 responses by kennythekey

One of the main things that I aspire to in this hobby, besides loving the music, is to attempt to reproduce it as it was recorded. IMO, that's the best we can do regardless of the format, or the care or knowledge of the engineers. It is what it is. So, if you love the music and it's only in mono, what's our job? Sure, you can stay away from mono recordings, but you may be missing out.

As mentioned above, much music is only recorded in mono, and a couple of years ago I wound up with my accountant's vinyl collection, mostly mono. I'm getting close to finishing off my final system except for tweaking, because I'm getting up there in age and it's time to unwind.

My plans are to cap off my system by adding a second arm with a mono cartridge. When I upgrade my phono stage, I'll also be adding a true mono circuit. I'm doing this, because it's important to me.
Kenny
Thanks, rockyboy,
A true mono stylus is made for classic mono records, and the same applies for a stereo stylus and stereo recordings. The contact areas and how those contact areas are configured in the grooves of both formats are different. So, a mono stylus in a mono record groove will have better sound than a stereo stylus in the same mono groove. The bottom line, using a stereo cartridge to play true mono records is a compromise.

I wound up with about 700 mono records from my accountant, plus others that I've collected over time. Those recordings deserve to shine. For me, this is the way of the audiophile. Oh brother, did I really say that? - LOL
I did,
Kenny
For the sake of the music, I do miss some of my CDs that I ripped to files, as my system rack has been missing two shelves where my DAC and music server were once sitting. I grew weary of the digital fuss. Dropouts, system updates, and sync problems, in the name of convenience were driving me nuts. So, I'm in the process of moving my digital gear to be set up as a second system in another room. When it's working, I can listen to music not available as vinyl.
Kenny