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A new player in the quality Mono cartridge game

For awhile there, if you wanted a mono cart to get the most out your new mono Beatles collection, other mono reissues, or vintage mono LPs, there were the budget offerings from Grado, a big price gap, and then the more expensive good stuff. The elliptical mono Grado goes for around $150.

But now the Audio Technica AT MONO3/LP, a HOMC, is available in the US. The link goes to the official importer, LpGear, who prices this $299.99 cart at $189.99. However, I also found that this cart is available from Amazon for $112.65. Worried that the unofficial import puts your purchase at risk? For a mere $12 extra you can buy a 2-year protection warranty.

I ordered mine via Amazon Prime on Sat. Oct. 24 and it arrived today.

This thing is NICE! 1.2mV output, which is plenty, conical stylus (don't know if it's nude or not, but it *sounds* nude), tracking force range 1.5-2.5g. I'm breaking mine in at around 2g.

Even fresh out of the box, this cart's a revelation. I started with "Within You Without You" from the new Beatles Mono vinyl reissue. It's really something when you play a mono record with a cartridge that produces no signal in the vertical plane. The noise floor drops down to the indiscernible. In fact, even cueing the needle makes very little sound thru the speakers.

Everything on Sgt. Pepper's sounded richer, lusher, more distinct, more dynamic, with great treble extension and no hint of sibilance. I followed it with Analogue Productions' 3-LP 45 rpm remaster of Nat King Cole's "After Midnight." Fan-TASTIC! I thought Nat was in the room before, but the dynamics, transparency, and truth-in-timbre reached a height I hadn't heard on my rig up to now.

I finished my mini-audition with a *real* mono record, an original mono Columbia Masterworks pressing of "Grand Canyon Suite" performed by Eugene Ormandy and The Phily Phil. Again, smoother, quieter, more dynamics. It showed its age a little bit, but I think I could bring this 55-yr-old record close to the reissues with a steam cleaning. Even without it it was very satisfying.

Folks, if you have nothing but the new Beatles mono reissues and have an easy way to switch cartridges or set up a mono rig, this cart is so worth it.

Right now I have around 13 Beatles mono LPs, two Beach Boys reissues, the Nat King Cole, some old Columbia Masterworks and shaded dog Orthophonics, mono reissues of Prestige and Miles Davis LPs, and some mono pressings of '60s pop.

I'm thinking of separating all my mono vinyl into its own shelf so--when I mount the AT Mono3 LP--I don't have to sort through my entire collection to play the compatible LPs.

BTW, if you decide to go after this cartridge, make sure you get the AT MONO3/LP cartridge, which is for mono LPS, and *NOT* the AT MONO3/SP cartridge, which is for 78s.
johnnyb53
dover
2,243 posts
 
Here is why a true mono cartridge will sound better on mono playback than using a stereo cartridge with a mono switch -
From the Ortofon website -
If you play a mono record with a stereo cartridge you will not achieve the same signal in the two channels due to imperfections such as crosstalk, noise, phase errors, tracking error, antiskating and distortion. This difference between the channels will result in an unstable and partially fuzzy image. A mono switch, to some extent, can improve this.
Playing the same record with a mono cartridge will have none of the aforementioned problems, as this cartridge only produces one signal, which afterwards is directed to both channels in the system. This will provide a much more forceful and stable image with a fuller sound.
Another significant advantage of using a mono cartridge to play mono records is the absence of response to vertical movement. This means that a mono cartridge is essentially impervious to the pinching effect which comes into action when the stylus is pushed vertically upward in very narrow grooves. In addition, the response to dust, dirt and wear will be reduced substantially as the vertical component will not be heard. The final result will be a much more clean and noiseless reproduction of the mono record. These effects simply cannot be achieved merely by the use of a mono switch.
fleib
1,124 posts
 
Lew,
I tried the test again, with a Victor Z-1E cart going into the Mitsu. I cleaned the Mozart again and it wasn't nearly as noisy. Maybe the stylus mucked out the groove? Results were not as dramatic. The mono switch took care of most clicks/pops. I also played a couple of sides of Lee Morgan Vol 3, and Brownie Eyes, both "modern" pressings in good shape.

In all cases the MONO3 had a superior presentation, more natural sounding, like as the recording was intended. The Z-1 had superior resolution on the reissues. It sounded crappy on Mozart, grainy and hard to take, where the MONO was far better, but still substandard.

Considering your collection, I think it will require a very good mono cart to fit in.
Regards,
lewm
13,001 posts
 
"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in."
Dover, the quote from Ortofon pre-supposes that the internal circuit of the cartridge is true mono. I believe that Ortofon are one of the few companies that does produce such true mono cartridges. To repeat, my idea pertains ONLY to cartridges that are stereo internally where the two channels are bridged so as to produce identical mono signals on each pair of output pins. Such a cartridge WOULD respond to vertical modulation and would depend upon bridging to cancel noise generated from such spurious signals (because on a mono LP, there is no music signal encoded via vertical modulation), just as a mono switch would do. The question remains: what fraction of modern mono cartridges are true mono; I think it's the minority fraction, but I don't claim to know for sure. Some time ago, one of the manufacturers who sometimes posts here revealed some information on that question, but I forget what he said. Funny how we are in the dark on this question. I think it's because the business recognizes that vinylphiles can be induced to buy their "pseudo" mono cartridges, when a simple mono switch would do. The dearth of preamplifiers with mono switches is also a contributing factor, for sure.
fleib
1,124 posts
 
A true mono cart is one with no vertical compliance. Such carts usually track at more than 3g. Tip size is another factor. A 1 mil tip can be used on a stereo record, but I wouldn't want one tracking with excessive weight. For a discussion of this, here's a VE thread. Poster Guest, is Luckydog:
http://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=48089

From AT:
The AT33Mono is made specifically for use on mono systems. It has a horizontal coil, and so in principle only generates electricity horizontally.

The AT33Mono produces sound to a very high quality because it does not easily pick up unnecessary strain components from distorted or scratched records, producing audio that you couldn't possibly get from a stereo cartridge.

The AT33Mono also has appropriate compliance in the vertical direction, so will not cause damage to stereo records. Enjoy those well-known classic mono records of yesteryear with the AT33Mono.

That does not sound like bridged channels to me. Even MMs with mono output are not bridged (strapped or parallel connection). The coils are connected in in such a way to cancel most vertical cantilever movement. As long as a cart, either MC or MM, has vertical compliance, vertical rejection will be imperfect. Nevertheless, Ortofon is correct about using a stereo cart on a mono record. A mono switch cancels 30dB of vert noise on a mono record, but can not correct stereo differences described.

Even the Miyajima Zero has some vertical compliance, it's very little and not designed to play a stereo LP.
lewm
13,001 posts
 
Fleib, I could take your last post as being consistent with my point of view. So I will. (The stuff about using a mono cartridge to play a stereo LP is completely beside the point of this discussion, by the way.) AT33MONO sounds to be of particular interest, since I agree that the AT blurb does suggest it is a true mono cartridge.
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