A mono cartridge whose cantilever can deflect vertically can still be "true mono" if it creates no signal in that vertical motion. Such cartridges have the stationery coils aligned to respond only to vertical motion. The vertical compliance protects your stereo records from a brain fart when one might forget to swap cartridges before playing a stereo record.
And yeah, I know, the OP plans to have a dedicated mono rig where that "can't" happen. Still, just because a mono cartridge has 4 output pins doesn't mean it's internally a stereo cartridge with strapped outputs. Besides, how would that work? Wouldn't you need diodes or a circuit similar to what's in a mixer to prevent the two cartridge channels from feeding back to each other and creating noise?
What such a cartridge *can* easily do is be an internal Y-adapter so the mono signal is sent to the left and right signal pins so you have true plug'n'play mono to your sterero outfit without need of an external Y-adapter to send the mono signal to both stereo channels.
BTW, from what I've read, the DL-102 may have a more limited bandwidth because its output is pretty high (3 mV) for a MC. This makes the coils on the cantilever bigger and heavier.
OTOH, that AT-3MONO/LP cart is HOMC with 1.2mV output, plenty for my MM input. It has a conical stylus, which (in my experience) is evidently wide enough (.60 mil) to work well with mono pressings on both sides of 1962.
If you want a fancier Audio Technica, there's the AT33MONO, which is an LOMC (0.35mV) with slightly wider (.65mil) conical stylus.
And yeah, I know, the OP plans to have a dedicated mono rig where that "can't" happen. Still, just because a mono cartridge has 4 output pins doesn't mean it's internally a stereo cartridge with strapped outputs. Besides, how would that work? Wouldn't you need diodes or a circuit similar to what's in a mixer to prevent the two cartridge channels from feeding back to each other and creating noise?
What such a cartridge *can* easily do is be an internal Y-adapter so the mono signal is sent to the left and right signal pins so you have true plug'n'play mono to your sterero outfit without need of an external Y-adapter to send the mono signal to both stereo channels.
BTW, from what I've read, the DL-102 may have a more limited bandwidth because its output is pretty high (3 mV) for a MC. This makes the coils on the cantilever bigger and heavier.
OTOH, that AT-3MONO/LP cart is HOMC with 1.2mV output, plenty for my MM input. It has a conical stylus, which (in my experience) is evidently wide enough (.60 mil) to work well with mono pressings on both sides of 1962.
If you want a fancier Audio Technica, there's the AT33MONO, which is an LOMC (0.35mV) with slightly wider (.65mil) conical stylus.