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

Hi there.. I can use some suggestions for playing mono records properly.I'm about to put together my vinyl system and trying to figure out how to best play mono records without having to either buy a separate TT, have a turntable with two tone arms or have a switchable head-shell, all of which are not an option at the moment.  Someday, I think having two tone arms will be the way, but now I need the most economical way to have a nice experience.
I will have at a minimum, a nice stereo stylus/cartridge, but I'm wondering if I should be focusing my phono-preamp search to those with a dedicated mono switch?  I have a Hegel integrated and there's no mono option. 
Are there  simple ways (contraptions)  other than a phono-preamp with a mono switch, to achieve high quality mono playback with a stereo stylus? My search for the right phono preamp would be much easier if I knew I didn't need to make sure it had mono.

Appreciate any suggestion or direction - would love to hear your person experience playing mono on a generally "stereo" rig.

hrabieh
elliottbnewcombjr
5,500 posts
 
Bubble Levels for TT.

I have several, and I bought over a dozen recently to include with an amp stand I designed. They are not as accurate as you expect. I now check them with other levels, return the one(s) that are no good.

My Thorens TD124 had a built in level, I trusted it without ever checking it against another.

Thorens had a built in speed control (a magnetic force/shield, pretty cool if you ever looked inside). You definitely needed to adjust the speed control as it warmed up, every time. I never need to adjust other TT speeds.
lubachl
95 posts
 
@folkfreak, yes that is what I concluded.  The more expensive MC stereo cartridge was giving me more information and dynamic bloom than the lesser MM mono cart.  However, I remain baffled that many of my RCA monos have a bigger sound and slightly higher volume (same amplifier setting) than their stereo siblings. That is what prompted my somewhat expensive foray into the world of mono playback set ups.

alucard19
363 posts
 
Audio-Technica VM610MONO Phono Cartridge Grado ME+ Mono Cartridge Ortofon 2M Mono Phono CartridgeParasound Zphono XRM3 good mono cartridges that won't break the bank and a phono preamp with a a stereo/mono switch
phono pre for $599.00 and 3 cartridges from $125.00 to $375.00
lewm
13,124 posts
 
Folkfreak and Lubachl, The better experiment, to work around Folkfreak's valid point that when comparing stereo cartridge A to mono cartridge B, you have to guess at the differences due solely to the basic goodness of the two cartridges, is to compare, for this example, your expensive MC cartridge in stereo mode to the very same cartridge with the mono switch engaged.  This is what I do all the time, and I cannot think of an example where I liked the stereo mode better than the mono mode, using a preamp with a mono switch to amplify the signal from a mono LP.  (Of course, I am only talking about "modern" mono LPs, not 78s, which are not LPs at all by definition, or late 1940s/early 50s oddball recordings.)
ericsch
753 posts
 
Elliott, have you used the KAB mono switch? Looks like an interesting solution, although another device in the chain could result in some distortion.

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