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Mono vs Stereo LP's

I recently purchased a 1958 mono issue of Art Farmer's "Farmer's Market" on the New Jazz purple label (New Jazz was a Prestige specialty label) The record looks to be in near mint condition and was carefully cleaned by me with a record vac. The recording, however, plays with a constant background noise or hiss. The dealer who sold me the record has a reputable history and is telling me the noise is because I need to play the record with a mono cartridge rather than my stereo Shelter 501. I have read the threads on Audiogon regarding mono cartridges which say they can sound better, but don't suggest there would be the type on noise I am hearing with stereo. I have many other mono records of similar vintage and have never encountered this before. Anyone have a similar experience to this?
128x128jyprez
modsound
15 posts
 
Perhaps it's the recording.
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Lots of old recordings had hiss (from tube electronics and pre Dolby/DBX tape recorders). To overcome this most preamps had noise filters, to roll off response as low as 6000 Hz. The best noise filters were "dynamic" (they cut in and out according to whether the music was loud or soft) and the very best dynamic noise filter was a thing called "Autocorrelator" invented by Bob Carver.

Why don't you just sit back and enjoy that authentic 1950s sound?
4yanx
1,576 posts
 
I have the same record and the same "problem", though I don't consider it that problematic. Your dealer is correct, the hiss will be probably be markedly reduced through use of a mono setup. I agree with Eldartford, though, there are a lot of records of that vintage with hiss and they are still enjoyable. I think the key word in your post is "constant" hiss. No record cleaner will remove that, it is part of the recording.
4yanx
1,576 posts
 
Ooops, I was under the impression that the LP I have was issued in 1956, so maybe we have different pressings. Anyway, it has the same hiss. Does your pressing have the release issue NJLP 8203 (which I am assuming) or PR 24032?

I THINK that this title was released in the OJC series. Wonder how it sounds. I ask because I have a Horace Silver LP which has similar, very mild hiss on the original recording but it is gone on the OJC re-release, though the re-release is far less "earthy" and less enjoyable.
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
4yanx..."No record cleaner will remove that, it is part of the recording".

Have you heard the "record cleaning" that can be done by digitizing the signal and processing it with a computer? Absolutely amazing. I am talking about recordings made almost 100 years ago, barely audible in original form, but where the cleaned up version sounds almost acceptable today.
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