Mono cartridge recommendation

@flatblackround  Thanks for the advice.

My primary table is a VPI TNT 4 with an ET 2.5 tonearm and various MC carts on different armwands

The new one coming is a VPI sold Frankentable with the plinth from a scout, the platter and bearing from a TNT 4, classic signature feet, and just a JMW tonearm base with a bent unipivot point, no armwand.

I have a couple of tonearms laying around, and depending on what cartridge I wind up getting, I'll use a tonearm that matches.

My budget, for me at least, represents dipping my toes in.  The table won't be exclusively mono, but probably will be most of the time.  Mostly because I have yet to decide whether to keep my old Denon for checking out used purchases before I throw them on the main rig.

In a year or so, I will probably reassess the second table, and look for a "forever" tonearm for it along with a better mono cartridge.  This is the second recommendation for the Zero, and it will surely be on my short list.

Sounds like you will be setting up two tables, one specifically for mono.  That is what I do since I have many mono albums.  I recommend you start with one of the less expensive cartridges.  I dipped my toes into mono with the Grado M+ and later the  Myajima Zero.  Improved timbre across the board and female voices are extremely well rendered.  Signal to noise greatly improved with true mono cartridges as Elliottb stated. The question is how deep do you want to go. 

@lewm 

Thanks for that.  I did notice that in some of the literature for some of the cartridges, it did mention bridging the left and right.  Also some mentioned different stylus profiles.  I currently do use the mono switch on my preamp when listening to mono records, though sometimes I do forget.

I'm wondering, how much the stylus profiles, as Elliot mentioned, play into the noise reduction?

Sorry about the double post.
Great you are already in waist deep.  Go for it and have fun with mono.  Myajima makes monos in the $1k range also.  At least they used to.

There are lots of opinions on stylus profiles in relation to playing mono LPs.  One side of that issue is addressed pretty well on the Miyajima website, but it is a bit one-sided. I personally have no opinion because no experience; I am still using the mono switch for mono LPs.  So I can only say that makes a major difference for the better, compared to playing mono LPs in stereo.  I do own a Shelter 501 mk2 mono cartridge, but it sits in its sealed packaging; I just never have bothered to set it up. I would tend to doubt or at least wonder whether a mono cartridge, especially one that is derived from a stereo base, would be quieter than using a mono switch, but both are for sure likely to be quieter than playing mono in stereo. 


The brain is a wondrous organ; I swear that I hear some of the better mono LPs in a kind of stereo, in that I can place the instruments and vocalists in front of me.  Whereas in some other (mono) cases, every musician is sitting on every other musician's lap.