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Mono VS Stereo

Hello,

For the last few years I stopped listening to my system in stereo mode and now only listen in mono. As soon as I started listening in mono my listening enjoyment went up about 300%. No longer did I become fatigued by the (Man made) stereo (Effects) created by the engineers in the studio. I grew to hate following these effects from the left speaker to the right speaker and back again with some recordings. When you attend a live performance be it Rock, Jazz, synphony or whatever, the sound comes at you in mono not stereo (Unless of course the sound man has other ideas. But as far as the band and the actual instruments are concerned there is no such thing as "Playing" in stereo. Give it a try, listen to your records or CD's in mono ( I hope you all have a mono selector on your preamps) it will be hard going back to stereo listening plus the soundstage and the way the "Band" comes across will be really cool.
nocaster
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
No longer did I become fatigued by the (Man made) stereo (Effects) created by the engineers in the studio. I grew to hate following these effects from the left speaker to the right speaker and back again with some recordings. When you attend a live performance be it Rock, Jazz, synphony or whatever, the sound comes at you in mono not stereo

I think this is the key to your preference for mono -- the material you are listening to, and its engineering. The sound of a classical symphony orchestra, or a smaller classical ensemble or soloist, being listened to in a good hall (and unamplified, of course), will be surrounded by a very striking hall ambience. That will be captured to some approximation by a well done stereo recording (especially if it is recorded with a minimal number of microphones, and is subjected to minimal post-processing), but will be mostly lost when you listen in mono mode. The same no doubt holds true for many well-engineered non-classical recordings.

Regards,
-- Al
jaybo
4,478 posts
 
i prefer 'no channels' or 'NONO'....this gets rid of everything 'manmade'.
nocaster OP
52 posts
 
I'm learning something new here (Single loudspeaker configurations and mono cartridges) really cool. Not sure if I'm ready to go all the way with mono but for sure worth a look. Great perspectives guys, one and all.
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shadorne
7,477 posts
 
I'm learning something new here (Single loudspeaker configurations and mono cartridges) really cool.

Not to sound like a broken record but I really would investigate further the reason for your preference - you might learn/discover something else. If you had a radioshack system then I might understand your unusual preference but with Sonus Faber Guaneri driven by Mcintosh preamp and power amp...I reckon you ought to get a fantastic stereo sound.

FWIW: Stereo recordings are meant to be heard that way. Certain effects are specific and unique to stereo and are used extensively in the industry. It is not just simple panning that is done but adjustments to phase which are made on most recordings to create soundstage width/depth/ambiance. If you convert them to mono then you will get some unintended effects.
nocaster OP
52 posts
 
Thank you for the info shadorne. I should be clear that my "Stereo sound" is fantastic and that my set up is great. It could just be that I prefer my peculiar way of listening to most of my material. For whatever it's worth whenever I have guests and we're listening to the system they prefer it in stereo. I realize that alot goes into a recording as you say, but for me sometimes the sum of all the parts don't add up to a whole. To be fair, next week when I have the chance I'll listen in stereo for the day and let you guys know if I've changed my mind at all. After all it has been quite some time since I have actually listened to my system in stereo for any length of time. Cheers.
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