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Mono cartridge recommendation

Ok, so tomorrow, my TNT will be getting a new baby brother.  I'd like to get a mono cartridge for it, my budget for now is up to $1K, less is better but not strictly necessary.

I'm open to MC, MI, or MM carts, but I generally prefer MCs. My Herron VTPH-2A can handle pretty much anything. I also have a few SUTs too to play around with. 

I tend to gravitate toward extremely neutral cartridges, so that's a consideration. I know everyone's system is different and will have different opinions on what constitutes neutral.

I have a couple of tonearms of various masses, so matching shouldn't be an issue. I've seen ATs, Hanas, Ortofons, and a few others in that range, but I don't have an opportunity to audition any of them before purchase.

My system:
Phono preamp: Herron VTPH-2A
Preamp:  Balanced Audio Technology VK-30SE
Amp:  Bryston 4B SST2
Speakers Magnepan 1.7i
Among other things...

I'm hoping the collective intelligence of the group will help me find a good match. So, what are your impressions of various mono cartridges in this price range?
vinylzone
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
Well, you have a lot of mono LPs and they are not from pre-50s era.

1) 0.7mil is suitable for mono reissues and old mono records made after 1960s.

2) 1.0mil is for deep groove pre-50s mono records.


Modern stylus profile will give you more than conical with any true mono cartridge.


lewm
13,764 posts
 
andysf,  Sorry about that.  I guess I was thinking of a chart on their website, not necessarily a written essay on the subject. The Japanese are notoriously poor with English.  Even English teaching in Japan is poor.  From what I can gather, the two languages are very different in construction.  Many of us can recall the laughable owners manuals that came with Sony and products of other major well-heeled Japanese corporations, as recently as 10-15 years ago.  They do much better these days.  Miyajima is tiny and probably not able to muster good translators.  My own son is a scholar in Japanese and can speak it better than many natives, yet he hates to translate for my benefit.  From the look on his face, it seems to give him a headache.
heretobuy
139 posts
 
This is interesting because I was kind of curious about how one would optimize a system for mono listening. Most of my mono listening is from digital sources (you shouldn’t hiss during a pandemic, it’s not sanitary). Actually that was the great boon of the digital era - the death of fake stereo. Not having a true audiophile’s income having a separate system for mono seems a little like having your own Fast Eddie Felson model two-piece screw-together pool cue. Having a single speaker for such a system is intuitive also because you can put twice the money into the single speaker, and you only have to buy a single monoblock amplifier.
senza
80 posts
 
I went to mono a few months ago and choose the Tedeska one. It’s all about music. Very happy with that. 
vinylzone OP
288 posts
 
Thanks to everyone who responded.

Further research leads to further questions :)

I'm seeing some mono cartridges that use horizontal generators vs others that seem to be just strapped versions of their stereo counterparts. 

The ones that are strapped versions probably retain the sonic characteristics of their stereo versions.  I'm not sure how or if the horizontal generators affect the sound. Are the horizontal generators simply a different cartridge with it's own unique sonic signature or are they still similar to their stereo counterparts if they have one?

Is the generator configuration significant?
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