Fact or misinformation?


Can  playing a mono LP possibly damage a stereo cartridge?

I got this response from an exhibitor at The Show in Long Beach, Ca. over the weekend.

This was the first time I've heard such a claim.

tablejockey

I don't know about everyone else. I have thousands of records and maybe 30 mono ones mostly old Jazz. Spending Thousands of dollars to get a mono cartridge as good as the stereo one for 30 records seem a bit odd almost as bad as buying a reel to reel to play the 30 or so prerecorded tapes that exist.   

 "Spending Thousands of dollars to get a mono cartridge as good as the stereo one for 30 records seem a bit odd almost as bad as buying a reel to reel to play the 30 or so prerecorded tapes that exist."

mijostyn- I guess the guys with disposable income, are the ones who reason"-what the heck?"

 

If your Mono albums were pressed after 1968 they were pressed on a stereo lathe. Recording studios in the USA eliminated the mono lathe. The way mono recordings are made from 1969 and on is they use a 2 track stereo tape recorder w/the mono tape. On occasion these records may be prone to trouble if not folded to mono properly. If it sounds phasey or loses the top end it needs to be played in stereo even if its mono. The groove on the stereo lathe is different than the mono lathe groove. If you have current mono albums you should be fine w/a stereo cart. It’s compatible w/the record grooves. Steve Hoffman explained this.