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'Mono' Cartridges vs. Mono Buttons

Hello,

I recently got into vintage 'microgroove' mono vinyl and I'm interested in getting the most out of my new records. I can either use my Shure m97xe stereo cartridge and just push the mono button on my amp (as I do now), or I can purchase a new, entry-level mono cart.

In replies from Grado and Ortofon I have learned that the Grado MC/ME+ and the Ortofon 2M Mono are both vertically compliant, multi-coil "mono" cartridges configured to cancel the vertical signal from the groove internally, and that this is not done by bridging the left and right channels.

So does pushing the mono button on an amplifier when using a stereo cartridge also cancel the vertical signal? I have my suspicions that it bridges the channels, and though this improves the signal-to-noise ratio (boosting the "mid" output more than the "side" output in mid-side terminology) while 'masking' the 'stereo noise' by placing it in the center image along with the music, it does not cancel the vertical signal...?
2xuel

Showing 1 response by jcarr

jcarr
382 posts
 
Dnath: If you use a single-coil cartridge in a stereo system, chances are good that you will end up with hum. If you have a dedicated mono system - only one channel from head to tail - a single coil cartridge will work fine.

The key issue for mono playback is not the number of signal coils - but their angular orientation, which determines whether they are sensitive to vertical groove modulations or not. A coil design that does not pick up any vertical modulation in the first place gives better sound than picking up the vertical modulation, then attempting to cancel it out later.

IME, what works best in a normal stereo system, is a cartridge with two mono coils. This eliminates any sensitivity to vertical groove modulations, yet avoids the hum issues that a single-coil cartridge may be prone to.

hth, jonathan carr
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