Turntable Mono cartridge?

Joey_V
Joey_V Posts: 8,552
in 2 Channel Audio
Anyone here have a mono cart for their table?

I have an extra 12" Gimbal Fatboy arm for my VPI Avenger Reference but I'm still missing the VTA tower and armboard - not to mention the actual mono cart.

I was planning on installing one but not sure if that'll happen in 1 or 2 years, as money is stretched thin considering my recent speaker upgrade.

I had another audiophile offer for my extra arm... I am highly considering selling it and putting that money to good use, only if I know for a fact that I'm not going for a mono cart anytime in the near future.

Does anyone here have a monocart and if so, what was your experience playing a mono album on the mono cart vs a stereo cart?

I have heard a very nice Koetsu mono cart but did not compare direct to a similar level Koetsu stereo cart.... but it did sound very nice.

Is this just a "nice thing to have" but not needed? Or is it a nice thing to top off a good system?
Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R
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Comments

  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited November 2022
    Joey_V wrote: »
    Anyone here have a mono cart for their table?
    Is this just a "nice thing to have" but not needed? Or is it a nice thing to top off a good system?

    This is a personal question that only you can answer based on your listening tastes, listening habits, and whether an optimization for mono playback is justified.

    1. Do now have or expect to have a significant number of mono records in your collection?
    2. Of the mono records that you now have or expect to acquire, does the recording quality justify the investment of a dedicated mono arm/cartridge?

    If the answer to the two questions above is "yes", then adding a mono cartridge/arm setup is a good idea. However, the questions you asked lead me to believe that the answers to the two questions above are "no", in which case a dedicated mono arm/cartridge setup would be a waste.

    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,799
    edited November 2022
    No, but I like the mono Ortofon SPU, FWIW.

    There's a fundamental question for mono -- is the goal to play truly vintage mono LPs? If so, you can, and perhaps should use a true mono cartridge, with zero vertical compliance. Such cartridges might damage later mono albums, which were cut with a stereo cutting head fed a mono signal -- and will damage stereo albums.
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  • jdjohn
    jdjohn Posts: 3,148
    I invested in an Audio Technica AT-33Mono for this purpose. It is not terribly expensive, and provides an appropriate horizontal orientation of the coils for a modern, refined, mono sound. I have very few true, mono records, so this was a logical choice for me.
    "This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
    "Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
    Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
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  • Joey_V
    Joey_V Posts: 8,552
    Yeah I think I’m gonna let the arm go
    I don’t think I can do it sufficient justice for the next couple years, I have other things I need to do with the system than chase after the last ounce of mono reproduction.

    Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R
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