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Mono questions

I have a couple of mono questions on a stereo system:
1.  Will playing a mono recording be the same as engaging mono on the preamp?  For example, if I played the Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" stereo, with the mono button engaged, would it sound the same as playing the mono version of "Pet Sounds."

2. I have read that while playing a mono record, I should also engage mono on the preamp?  Is this true?  Why?  If the source is mono, the preamp should reproduce what is fed into it regardless of mono setting on the preamp.  Thanks for helping out a mono newbie.
philcrocetti
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
10,259 posts
 
The answer is simple , Lew. Mistakes! The guy who is sent to the tape vault to retrieve the master when it is time to press the LP may or may not grab the correct reel for both the mono and stereo pressings. Those kinds of mistakes are more common than you might imagine. The original 7" 45 RPM pressing of Bob Dylan’s "Positively 4th Street" actually contains "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window"---a different song! The 45 was immediately recalled when the mistake was discovered, making it an expensive collectors item. The song "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window" was later released as a 45 on it's own, but the version on that 45 is a different one than the one on the mis-pressing! Dylans band on that song, by the way, is The Hawks, later known as The Band. Great song, with a blistering guitar solo.
onlyqualityhifi
21 posts
 
BACK TO MONO said the mad genius. Who am I to disagree. Playing mono records on a stereo system? Another way to go is a Tru Mono cable. Google it. It's an ear opener!
pryso
1,986 posts
 
onlyqualityhifi, how is the Tru Mono cable different than 2 into 1 connected to 1 into 2 RCA cables which have been available for decades, although for a bit less money?

I suspect that is the same as an "internally strapped" mono cartridge such as Lew mentioned, or most configurations with a stereo/mono switch on a preamp.

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