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Mono VS Stereo

Hello,

For the last few years I stopped listening to my system in stereo mode and now only listen in mono. As soon as I started listening in mono my listening enjoyment went up about 300%. No longer did I become fatigued by the (Man made) stereo (Effects) created by the engineers in the studio. I grew to hate following these effects from the left speaker to the right speaker and back again with some recordings. When you attend a live performance be it Rock, Jazz, synphony or whatever, the sound comes at you in mono not stereo (Unless of course the sound man has other ideas. But as far as the band and the actual instruments are concerned there is no such thing as "Playing" in stereo. Give it a try, listen to your records or CD's in mono ( I hope you all have a mono selector on your preamps) it will be hard going back to stereo listening plus the soundstage and the way the "Band" comes across will be really cool.
nocaster
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shadorne
7,477 posts
 
I'm learning something new here (Single loudspeaker configurations and mono cartridges) really cool.

Not to sound like a broken record but I really would investigate further the reason for your preference - you might learn/discover something else. If you had a radioshack system then I might understand your unusual preference but with Sonus Faber Guaneri driven by Mcintosh preamp and power amp...I reckon you ought to get a fantastic stereo sound.

FWIW: Stereo recordings are meant to be heard that way. Certain effects are specific and unique to stereo and are used extensively in the industry. It is not just simple panning that is done but adjustments to phase which are made on most recordings to create soundstage width/depth/ambiance. If you convert them to mono then you will get some unintended effects.
nocaster OP
52 posts
 
Thank you for the info shadorne. I should be clear that my "Stereo sound" is fantastic and that my set up is great. It could just be that I prefer my peculiar way of listening to most of my material. For whatever it's worth whenever I have guests and we're listening to the system they prefer it in stereo. I realize that alot goes into a recording as you say, but for me sometimes the sum of all the parts don't add up to a whole. To be fair, next week when I have the chance I'll listen in stereo for the day and let you guys know if I've changed my mind at all. After all it has been quite some time since I have actually listened to my system in stereo for any length of time. Cheers.
mrfonda
13 posts
 
I have a Helikon Mono cart in my system now and am enjoying my mono recordings they was they were engineered. I find that the timbre is better in mono than stereo, the depth of field is also better (in my system), but with my speakers (Martin Logans) they image really well in stereo. I usually go about 6 months stereo/6 months mono. I think you guys who are blowing off the mono opportunity ought to sell me all your mono records. you just don't know what you are missing.

for what it's worth, my collection is about 60% stereo, 40% mono. I enjoy both, but relish the great old jazz pieces in mono.

doug
commcat
79 posts
 
In a correct stereo set-up there are instruments on the right and left and in the CENTER. That is the stereo effect. Since you prefer a "close-field" sweet spot with the speakers 8 or 9 feet apart and the music in Mono it seems there is a "hearing problem" or a neurological problem which prevents you from hearing seamless music in a stereo presentation. If you have to sit so close to the speakers to hear the music then mono might be necessary to avoid the ping-pong effect of incorrect stereo separation unless you place the speakers further apart and toe them in to create a close field position. Have you tried headphones and what result did you have?
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
FWIW...In the late 1940s I listened (was made to sit down and listen) to a SOTA system, Mono of course. It utilized two loudspeakers, positioned just as we do today for stereo.
It also had a phono pickup which used wooden "needles" that had a triangular cross section, and were sharpened using a special clipper.

The main reason to get a Mono cartridge is to get the proper (large) stylus. Many "Mono" cartridges are simply stereo models with a jumper to eliminate sensitivity to vertical groove modulation. This jumper is in preamps that have a Mono switch.
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