Mono vinyl, how do you know if really single channel mono or if stereo recorded to mono
I'm exploring the possibility of getting a mono cartridge.
Please, I am not trying to start a debate about whether or not that is a good idea. I simply have a question about monophonic records.
How can you tell which records are truly mono and which are actually stereo with 2 identical channels to simulate mono?
I know that for all mono records before stereo there was only one channel cut laterally into the record . When stereo came out some so called mono recordings were actually 2 channels just like a stereo record with both horizontal and vertical information but L and R were the same so ended up as mono. I also know that a "true mono" cartridge only has output from the horizontal motion and that the stylus size is different than a stereo stylus, which means according to many aficionados of mono recordings, in an ideal world you would want a cartridge optimized for mono to play true mono records
again, I do not want to debate the pros and cons of this, just want the facts about the records. If you want to debate something else please start another thread
I apologize for the title of the thread, it should not say "stereo recorded to mono." that makes no sense... I was thinking about mono recorded as 2 equal channels on a stereo record... so it should be the other way around.. I was interested in mono recorded with a stereo cutting head
in case anyone is still paying attention , I decided there is only one way to satisfy my curiosity and that is to get a real mono cartridge. Consensus of the online reviews is a Miyajima Zero is one of the best so ordered one. true mono with only lateral motion. I've also been cleaning my record collection and didn't realize I have a lot of classic jazz records (late 50's and 60's) that are mono as well as a fair number of older classical. Ordered the Dylan and Coltrane mono boxes too.. OH BOY another thing to collect !!!
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