Mono record sounds like stereo


So I have been playing stereo records for 40 years.  I’ve recently acquired some Verve Japanese reissues. Listening to Metronome All stars tonight and there is clearly separation. I hear horns predominantly on the left and xylophone and drums on the right.  This is on an Ortofon SPU synergy stereo cartridge. Is this normal ?  I’m sorry.  I’m new to Mono.  I bought about 50 verve and Blue notes last week and got some monos on accident.  My system is balanced and the room has extensive treatment so I’m lost !   

128x128adrianleewelch

Mono records sound great of axis. Once you get in the right listening position a mono record will sound as if you are listening through a crack in the door. If this is not happening one would have to assume there is a problem with your system's stereo imaging. 

I’m listening on an Altec A5 horn system and I was so impressed with the sound quality of this mono record.  Thank you for the response. I thought I was crazy or my preamp was broken LOL 

A well recorded mono LP is an attention getter.

Period press of straight ahead Jazz on Contemporary, World Pacific and Riverside are a few of the other labels that do the magic.

 

 

Might be more trouble than it's worth, but you can "strap" the phono outputs if your system doesn't offer a mono switch. With a mono switch strapping is then done in the pre-amp. What I do is run two turntables in two different systems. The dedicated mono unit is 1, an e-bay and then overhauled Pioneer 1150. The Pioneer runs the Grado MC+ (there is a new upgrade MC+), the other, 2, is a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon DC with a Audio Technica MC cartridge through the P-J S box, that cart has since been obsoleted and supplanted. You can play mono with a stereo cartridge, each side of the cart will feed "stereo" outputs to your system. I have noticed the effect you mention when playing a Shibata stylus. Do not play your stereo records with a mono cart. For Jazz and Classical I prefer Mono, it gives a more "sitting in the front row" experience for me, not to mention going back to the days of mono systems.