MONO cartridge recommendation

rossb, You've certainly thrown a monkey wrench into the discussion, if what you say is true. Can you cite some sources to support the idea that a mono LP derived using a stereo cutting head will react differently from a "pre-1968" or true mono LP (to take your own cut-off date), to the use of a mono cartridge? And what about modern mono re-issues of recordings that were made in mono back in the early 50s?  (So the reproduction chain is: mono master tape to stereo cutting head to mono LP.) There's a lot of those around and more coming available every day. Presumably, the mono signal after a stereo cutting head is re-derived by re-combining the stereo channels, which are actually identical to each other.

You're correct, incidentally, about the Ortofon Quintet.  The Ortofon website uses a lot of double -talk to make the reader think their mono cartridges are "true mono", but in most cases that ain't so.

@rossb It’s a bit more complex then that

For example, anyone purchasing ERC can be confident they’re using a mono cutter ...
https://electricrecordingco.com/about

... but comparisons with other pressings of the same material cut on a stereo large suggest that this isn’t always a good thing ...
http://www.coupdarchet.com/reviews.html

... which likely explains why if you’re cutting a mono disc these days you’re best off using a stereo cutter

incidentally and somewhat off topic I was discussing the virtues of mono playback with Tim de Paravicini and his assertion was that mono cutters offered superior high frequency response due to the lower weight and simpler construction

lewm, as I mentioned, the information I provided was based on reading from a number of forums over the years. There are quite a number of discussions of mono recordings on the Steve Hoffman forums (as there are here) and Steve (who is probably as knowledgeable as anyone on this subject) has made some comments from which I have derived most of this information, so I suggest you do a search of that forum.

folkfreak, thanks for those links. I wasn't aware that ERC used a mono cutter, nor was I aware that Coup d'archet use a stereo cutter, even though I own the Johanna Martzy set from Coup d'archet that is the subject of the review. It therefore makes sense to listen to this reissue with a stereo cartridge.

It's interesting that although discussions of mono cartridges and mono recordings come up frequently, they almost inevitably lead to more confusion than clarity. I don't claim to be an expert, so if anyone has any better information, I for one would certainly appreciate it. 

@rossb I also own all the Coup Martzy’s (I’m not so rich that I can justify ERC prices) and love how they sound with my Zero. They also sound good with my Palladian but somehow there’s more vim with the Zero which suits the material. Have you tried them both ways and liked the stereo set up best?

Some other works, such as the recent 45rpm Pet Sounds, seem to work better with the stereo cartridge. I have two arms and so can make comparisons easily. Still great to have the dedicated mono for the older stuff in any case.

folkfreak, I am a little embarrassed to say that I have hardly listened to the Martzy set, even though it is the most expensive LP set I own! I haven't done a serious mono/stereo comparison, so I will make some time this afternoon to do that, with the Shelter 501 mono against the Etna SL.