It's the stylus...

As to MONO switches on a McIntosh power amp I’ve had some very interesting results playing my collection of MONO LPs. I have a feeling that the MONO switch on my amp which was properly used in a mono block setup in pair with a second identical MacIntosh power amp. This means that a single audio rca for RIGHT was connected, MONO/STEREO switched to MONO and processed to the RIGHT speaker output. Using this switch when there is a Stereo OR Mono signal to both inputs brings very unsatisfying results. For me the thing that does provide great results with either a stereo or mono cart with MONO LPs is using the MONO switch on the preamp which greatly reduces perceived (not real) surface type noise and brings a mint, properly cleaned and static treated MONO LP to silence.

Dear @skywachr : Years ago in a thread came out this kind of discussion where many audiophiles were in agreement with you: stylus is the most important " link ".

And  @jcarr  posted tha t( Lyra cartridges designer. ) it was not exactly that way and if the stylus is important the one that makes the higher differences for the better or worse is the cantilever and not the stylus: its building material or blend materials, length/dimensions, its shape and the like.

The groove modulations are pick-up for the stylus tip that's atached to the cantilever whom starts to vibrates according those modulations that the stylus pick-up but at the same time the cantilever develops additional " modulations/resonances/vibrations " that the transducer takes in the same way as if were true groove modulations.
Through the cantilever happens many things along those that obviously goes in heavy signal degradation and it does not matters if the stylus tip is the Replicant 100 or an conical one.

In the other side all those different stylus tip shapes in reality never can't pick-up the 100% of the whole information recorded in the groove modulations not on pivot tonearm designs but even not in the LT ones. 

There is no way ( no matters what ) that the cartridge stylus set up be in perfect match/even/mimic what the cutter head did it during the cutting recording process and with the best stylus tip as Gyger2 or Replicant 100 or Micro Ridge is even more difficult to been " there " that with more easy stylus tip as ellipthical type.

Certainly that @jcarr knows a lot more on the overall subject that almost any one of us including you and your experiences with all your TTs/tonearms and cartridges you own or owned through your audio life.

You can be sure that everything the same an ellipthical stylus tip on boron cantilever will sounds better than a line contact type in aluminum cantilever.

I remember very clear when I just changed in the Lyra Clavis daCapo cantilever with a new boron ( same stylus tip shape. ) instead the original ( the re-tipper advise was ruby instead of boron. Obviously I don't took his advise. ) cantilever and the sounds reproduction differences for the better were nigth and day. Latter on that same cartridge was re-tipped by VdH with boron and VdH stylus tip and things were just ok: almost the same.

I think @jcarr was rigth in this specific issue but..............is an open issue.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

Raul, I know that when Pramanik, the engineer who was at Bang and Olufsen decades ago, designed the beryllium cantilevered stylus ultimately named after him, he designed it to mimic the shape of the actual cutter head. 

Dear @skywachr : The designers of stylus tip shapes is what all are doing for some years but even if mimic the cutter head shape does not means will follows/mimic the LP groove modulations.

R.