What to expect from MONO

It may not be your setup or equipment but rather anomalies in you room's response resulting from playing a mono groove with a stereo cartridge. Having a mono/stereo switch on your preamp (switched to mono of course) can eliminate a lot of that. So does using a mono cartridge, but I wouldn't go that far unless I had a large mono record collection.
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Should be same response from both channels. Difference could be gain (balance) and EQ per channel. Depends how well the phono is matched. Also azimuth setting on cart.

Do you have a mono switch? This helps to cancel out stereo cart imbalances.

jh

Nsgarch...

Can you clarify how a stereo cartridge could be to blame for room response?

Wouldn't the fact that he's using 2 speakers be more "to blame"? I mean, a mono cartridge playing a mono track through 2 speakers would output the same signal to each (in theory), and the room response could cause some variance in perceived 'location' of the sounds.

However, if I have it right, a stereo cartridge could actually be feeding 2 different signals to each channel, which could then be exacerbated by 2 speakers/room response.

Am I missing something? I guess you are saying anything that sends a mono signal (mono cart, mono-capable preamp) to stereo speakers will reduce the problem -- but the inherent problem is room response (assuming correct setup of the cartridge & rest of the system). Nothing in the analog setup will correct this.

Ebalog, when I said "anomalies in you room's response" I was referring to phasing issues and "floating" image (which is what Arch7 was asking about, I think). I wasn't referring to the room's frequency response. A mono groove only produces lateral stylus movement representing a single signal. When reproduced through a normal stereo system (maintaining 2 separate channels from cartrige to speakers) the two signals have phase differences (the "stereo imbalances" JH refers to.)

Using a mono switch combines the two channels at the preamp, and these phase differences (mostly) cancel, so you pretty much get the same signal out of BOTH speakers. However, a mono cartridge sends the SAME signal to both channels, so theoretically, you shouldn't need the mono switch.
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a piece of vinyl wears from the first spin. make sure your records are dust free when played, so the heated vinyl doesn't cool with embedded particles.....break in -no...break down-yes.