Why mono?

Hi Dave: Are you talking about something that can be accomplished in between the cartridge pins and the headshell pins using headshell wires? (No way would I attempt to rewire anything inside a cartridge itself.) Please elaborate, and maybe comment on why this would be any different than using a preamp mono switch?

Hey,

It is done externally with a jumper.

Leave the Red wire connected as is, Move the green headshell lead to the blue cartridge pin and place a jumper from green to white. and use only the right channel of your phono pre.

This will sum any lateral movement and cancel any vertical movement of a stereo cartridge.

If you want this signal to feed a stereo pair of speakers place a Y connector at the Right channel output of your pre to get L & R signals for your amp.

dave

So, would any of the posters who own mono carts care to list which manufacturers in their experience offer 'true' mono carts as opposed to repurposed stereo ones, with distinct generators and suspensions that aren't for use with stereo records, and maybe what they think of those ones they've heard?

The thought occured to me -- since it stands to reason that stereo CD players can't suffer from whatever ill effect it's supposed to be that's said to make stereo carts less than optimal for playing mono LPs -- that if this alleged deficiency in playng mono LPs with stereo carts is true, then on average, mono CDs therefore ought to sound better relative to the their mono LP counterparts than do stereo CDs relative to stereo LPs (for those of us using stereo carts -- most, I'm sure).

This isn't something I've noticed however, not that I've specifically listened for it. (Then again, despite owning more vinyl than "discs" by a factor of over 20 to 1, neither am I one who thinks LP sound is necessarily always better than CD sound. I think mastering quality greatly trumps format, but also that, mastering quality aside, each format can have its strengths relative to the other.)

I have a Koetsu Urushi & Lyra Helikon mono Cartridges.
The Koetsu sounds very good on mono records but the Lyra is so much better on them. The image seems to be better layered and taller. I have a few mono records that also sound like crap with lots of surface noise whan played with the stereo cartridge but sound like there is nothing wrong with them when played with the mono cartridge. When I am shopping for mono albums I only look for in groove defects and damace and do not even worry about scratch that would make me not buy the album if it were a stereo recording.
Monos just sound best with a mono album. IMHO