Why mono?

read this....

about Miyajima Mono cartridges

the translation from Japanese makes for interesting reading but it makes some good points.

"my preamp allows me to send either the left or right channel to both speakers"

JR, what preamp are you using? Thanks!
-Bob

chicks dig mono

Dude, tell us your secret. Where are you hanging out? I tried listing "monophile" on my eHarmony profile and didn't get a single frigging response.

Bob, I'm using an Audio by Van Alstine OmegaStar PAT-5. This was AVA's solid state circuitry built into a Dynaco chassis (current model is called Inisight). AVA's own chassis also have this capability, whether the simpler SL chassis or the EC (enhanced capability) option.

Greetings,

The evidence would suggest a 16-22 gram effective mass for the wonderful Myajima mono cartridge. While the Tri-Planar is objectively and observably a superior arm to the humble Artisan, the latter (with a slightly higher effective mass) is a better match for the Myajima. I’m curious about Jazzdoc’s observations about the Artisan/Myajima pairing, and he’ll likely be able to report back on this combination in a few weeks.

So far, I’m getting mixed results with mono, in that some mono records aren’t improved through a mono cartridge, while others are dramatically better. In some cases the noise drops off dramatically (the noise generated by vertical movement which mono cartridges ignore). In others, there’s no difference.

In short, if you have a mono collection, exploring a dedicated mono arm/cart is a worthwhile avenue. For me (others may differ), it’s the only justification for running a dual arm rig, and the only reason my new designs will continue to have this feature.

BTW, Mike L. inadvertently added an extra zero. The Myajima mono series of cartridges runs in the $900 to $1,200 range (there are three mono cartridges in the line). All of this makes me wonder how good the mono version of the Dynavector XV1s is.

The mono experience (through a mono cartridge) is very “spatial”, but in a different way from stereo. Shifting to a mono cartridge (on a mono recording) “grows” the sound field in a spherical way – the central image grows, frequently to the bounds of your stereo speaker pair. You get a sense of engulfment you didn’t think possible through your mono recordings.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier