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Mono vinyl, how do you know if really single channel mono or if stereo recorded to mono

I'm exploring the possibility of getting a mono cartridge. 

Please, I am not trying to start a debate about whether or not that is a good idea. I simply have a question about monophonic records.

How can you tell which records are truly mono and which are actually stereo with 2 identical channels to simulate mono?

I know that for all mono records before stereo there was only one channel cut laterally into the record .  When stereo came out some so called mono recordings were actually 2 channels just like a stereo record with both horizontal and vertical information but  L and R were the same so ended up as mono. I also know that a "true mono" cartridge only has output from the horizontal motion and that the stylus size is different than a stereo stylus, which means according to many aficionados of mono recordings,  in an ideal world you would want a cartridge optimized for mono to play true mono records

again, I do not want to debate the pros and cons of this, just want the facts about the records. If you want to debate something else please start another thread

thanks


herman
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lewm
13,038 posts
 
The Miyajima website has a nice short summary of what stylus widths work best with what vintage of mono LP. But unless one has a collection that includes 78s and/or very early LPs cut pre-1950 or in the early 50s, I don’t think this is much of an issue. Once you do decide whether you need a mono cartridge and then whether you need a "true mono" cartridge vs a stereo cartridge that has been converted to mono operation by bridging the two channels internally, then be very careful how you read the manufacturers’ descriptions of their mono cartridges. Nearly all of them are guilty of obfuscating to one degree or another, in order to allow the reader to believe that their product is "true mono". Not many actually are, Miyajima, at least one model of Denon, EMT, and a few others being the exception. For example, if you read the blurb on the Ortofon Quintet Mono, you would be forgiven for thinking they are describing a true mono cartridge. But my research suggests the Quintet Mono is a bridged stereo type. Not that there is anything really wrong with that, particularly if you are listening to modern pressings of mono tapes that were made using a stereo cutter.


I don’t know why many listeners hear a difference between using a mono cartridge, which is typically one of those bridged stereo versions of a mono cartridge, and just using the mono switch on the preamplifier (which also results in bridging of two stereo channels), but it could be that bridging before RIAA correction and before amplification of the signal makes a difference, in favor of the mono cartridge. I own a mono cartridge (Shelter 501 v2) but don’t use it much since I am satisfied with using the mono switch. I probably ought to make more of an effort.
elliottbnewcombjr
5,373 posts
 

I suggest/hope you research and find a Mono Cartridge BODY with interchangeable/optional Stylus, and let us know what you find please. Spherical/Elliptical/ML stylus types, let’s not forget 78rpm!

Anybody know???

I am finding Mono LP’s is a messy world, and information is often missing. Original and subsequent diddling around sometimes but not always noted. Some Mono don’t even say mono on the sleeve or disk label, some dated just prior to 1958 might or might not be ……?

.......................................

As for mixing Stereo into Mono, I read this:

Transition Period i.e. 1956-1958 : Major Labels had 2 recording teams: established mono team; new stereo team. They paid the musicians/singers to perform twice and sold both Mono and Stereo versions. Like R2R Tape, all kinds of propriety names had been invented for Mono LP's, then more new names for Stereo LP's

Too expensive for small labels. Rudy Gelder figured out he could make a single Stereo Recording to release Stereo in the future, and mix a mono version from his single stereo recording to issue a mono lp for sale now.


herman OP
2,254 posts
 
Nearly all of them are guilty of obfuscating to one degree or another, in order to allow the reader to believe that their product is "true mono". Not many actually are

Thanks Lewm, I see that. Ortofon uses the term "true mono" all over their website, but when I contacted them about their cartridges they replied

Firstly, please read some background information about the TRUE MONO concept on our web here https://www.ortofon.com/hifi/cartridges-ranges/true-mono/.


MONO models use a strapped output to deliver the same output signal from both sets of pole pins, which makes it possible to get true mono reproduction on any stereo playback system. So there is only one signal out and this is on both pair of terminals (for convenience - most people have stereo equipment and need signal for both channels).


so their use of the term "true mono" is to me.. very misleading if not basically an outright lie. 

I just ordered this to play with.. not much money and if correctly described it is a mono cartridge.. thanks so far for the info

https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/at-mono3-lp

Due to the horizontal configuration of its PCOCC (Pure Copper by Ohno Continuous Casting) voice coils, the AT-MONO3/LP cartridge only generates electrical signal with horizontal movement, yet it also has appropriate compliance in the vertical direction, making it safe for use with stereo records.

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