Playing mono records properly without breaking the bank - a phono pre-amp question.

I believe both AT and Ortofon have Plug n Play mono cartridges if your headshell is removable. If not, unless you really play mono quite a bit, I would just use a mono switch for such. 

You can always...simply play your mono records and enjoy the music.

Hi everyone, thanks for your feedback. I fully understand the benefit of having a mono cartridge. I don’t however want to go that route since only a small portion of my collection today and possibly into the future will be mono.. also (a)I’m not quire ready for a turntable with two tone arms and (b) not planning on getting a turntable with interchangeable headshell and
(c) don’t see myself wanting to get a cartridge with a removable stylus where I would switch out the stylus each time I want to play a mono record..(d) will not be playing any 78’s on this turntable.

therefore my options as I see it and based on your comments:


i)playing with everything stereo.. stylus and phono and no mono switch anywhere.ii)playing with stereo stylus with a phono that has a mono switchiii)playing with a stereo stylus with a phono that doesn’t have a mono switch but uses an external device to handle the mono.

So here are my specific questions and hope you can answer them
Q1) Is there a good external switch/box that can be placed between a phono preamp and and a preamp/integrated that allows me to purchase a phono preamp without a mono switch..

Q2) is there a sonic hit between a phono with a mono switch built in and an external one?
Q3) As a newbie, I’m feeling like $500 is my limit for a cartridge.. is there something I should be looking for in a cartridge that plays well both in stereo and mono.. meaning, if the reviews are positive comparatively for their stereo playback, is it a given that it will play well in Mono? yeti42 , according to your experience, the Dynavector 17D3 wasn’t all that good with Mono, which is why I’m asking this question. Wish I had the budget for one of those because I’m looking at the Well Tempered and they apparently favor Dynavector Carts.Thanks everyone.

millercarbon2, thanks for the recommendation to check out Soundsmith.. much to read there..

No, there is really no "good" external switch for this purpose, because the signal voltage from a cartridge, even a high output one, is very low compared to line level signals, and passing that signal through a switch will inevitably do harm.  Some similarly recommend a Y-adapter placed in the line from cartridge to phono input.  That's not a good idea, because of the impedance anomalies that will result.  (It's too complicated to explain here.)  However, it might "work" to place a Y-adapter in the line between the phono stage output and the linestage input, if you are using separates. Because impedances will also be affected in this topology, you'd have to experiment on a case by case basis (phono stage/linestage combos).


Depends upon the design and quality of the switch.
I don't understand the comment that the DV17D3 per se isn't good for mono compared to other modern stereo MC cartridges.  All modern stereo cartridges should be about the same in mono, for good or ill, and assuming a stylus shape that is "modern", i.e., line contact or modified elliptical type.  A stereo cartridge with a conical tip might do mono slightly better than the foregoing, but such a stylus shape is not very good for stereo in the first place.

Finally, you didn't ask this question, but I wanted to comment that having a mono switch on your preamplifier to my ears gives about the same (good) result as using a mono cartridge.  I have both, and that's my opinion.  This thread will go on and on, so I would also mention here that there are both "true" mono cartridges and mono cartridges that are made from stereo cartridges by bridging the channels internally.  In the latter case, that is more or less like using a mono switch.  Also, IMO, there is tremendous benefit to playing mono LPs in mono, no matter how you get it done.  On the other hand, most mono LPs also sound "good" in stereo mode, if you cannot afford the equipment needed to go mono. You'll just hear more noise due to dirt in the grooves and to recorded hf that amounts to noise and is cancelled out in mono mode.