@lewm No, I disagree. I think it's a great example of what a real mono cartridge brings to the table.
Mono switch on phono preamp vs Mono Cartridge
Just curious if anyone has tested and compared listening to mono record with a mono cartridge vs a mono switch on a phono preamp? I know the cartridge option would be better, but by how much?
I dont know how many mono records I own, I would need to try and figure it out, but i have been lately getting a lot of the Chess 75 blues mono records, have the Rolling Stones mono box set, etc, I would estimate about 50 currently and they are mostly modern pressing ones and not older originals. Plus , I assume it will keep growing.
Not sure if its worth getting a used Rega RB330 tonearm and mono cartridge and a Transrotor base for the arm or stick with the mono button on the phono preamp.
Rough estimate looking at about 1200 USD additonal costs
Setup:
My phono preamp allows for more tonearm connections, McIntosh MP1100.
Turntable - Transrotor Zet3 with TMD Bearing - RB880 with Hana ML
Curious to know thoughts about this, thanks
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I think you are disagreeing with something I did not say. I only advised using a mono switch, if you have one, with a mono cartridge. I could agree that is like wearing a belt and suspenders, both. But if your mono cartridge is actually a stereo cartridge in which the two channels are bridged, as many are, the mono switch might further help. This does not include your Lyra or a Miyajima mono, or any of several other true mono cartridges. |
@lewm I see now what you meant. My bad. Given that, a true mono cartridge really does not need a mono switch on the phono-stage or preamp. That will do nothing useful, since the mono cartridge already ignores any signal (i.e. dirt, noise) in the vertical (i.e. stereo) walls of the groove. My point for that scenario stands: why introduce circuitry into the signal path unnecessarily? Strapped stereo cartridges are another matter in that regard, but they aren’t true mono cartridges anyway. They still try to reproduce the stereo walls of the record grove, which are just dirt and noise. In that case engaging the mono switch on the phono-stage may help cancel out noise. |
I’ll throw this out there…just as an alternative approach… If the funds are directed towards upgrading to a better stereo cartridge, say Umami Red or even Umami Blue - sell the ML and add that $ to was to be spent on second arm, base and a lower quality mono SL cartridge, wouldn’t it be an overall bigger improvement even in the mono playback? What’s the ratio of mono to stereo records in your collection? Hana ML is a great cartridge but it’s not as good as Umami Blue. Not even to mention how far beyond the ML’s performance Red will be… |
- 31 posts total