mono cartridge vs stereo


Lots of the music I want to listen to is in mono. At present I use my stereo cartridge with the mono button pressed on the phono pre. I can't find much on the differences in this vs dedicated mono cartridge. Any insights/experience would be appreciated.
fbpearce
Hard to offer any advice without any system specifics. Additional information would potentially be helpful. In my system, a dedicated mono cartridge makes a definite difference with mono recordings.
In a way you will find always the same groups in discussions about that topic.
Group one
They use a Preamp with Mono button and that's it for them
(Mainly they don't hear any differences in general imo)
Group two
They use Mono carts and they stay with their decision.

I tried both ways, Mono button makes the reproduction dead and the tonal colors are completely gone.

Stereo cartridge with Mono records (those with RIAA, let's stay in the area of 1958 and later), works, but the noise floor is very high.

Mono cart with Mono records
Good results, the tonality is right, the soundstage is huge (you need an Arm with VTA anyway, most Mono button pushers don't know that too)

Yes, there are differences in Mono Cartridges, some are real mono, most are shortened Stereo Carts (high output, hum ...)
A mono only cartridge will bring a significant improvement. I have two arms on my TT, one is stereo the other mono. I've found that set up to work best, that way the cartridge alignments are set up correctly.
Here is some info that I didn;t know, until another member posted this inciteful explaination of why a dedicated mono cartridge makes a difference.
***********
If your plan is to have a mono set up to play vintage mono LPs that were pressed between 1948 and ~ 1960 then you need a real mono cartridge with a spherical stylus. There are a lot of "mono" cartridges out there that are nothing more than a stereo cartridge that is wired for mono, and that simply will not do. They will work, but you will be no better off than you are with playing a mono LP with a stereo cartridge.

On vintage mono records the grooves are wider than they are on stereo LPs. They are also U shaped rather than V shaped. A geniune mono cart has no vertical compliance. The stylus only moves in the horizontal plane. Thus, using a mono cartridge on these LPs will yield better sound and less noise. The Grado you referenced is a stereo cartridge using a modern elliptical stylus with the generator wired for mono. This would not be an ideal cartridge to use for playing back vintage mono LPs.

If your goal is really to play mono audiophile reissues pressed on 180g or 200g vinyl then do not waste your time and money on a mono cartridge. To my knowledge all LPs pressed today are cut on modern stereo cutting heads. No one is making mono LPs with U shaped grooves. Using a spherical stylus on these records will wear them out prematurely and they will not sound as good on a mono cart as they would with a modern stereo cartridge.

The only genuine mono cartridges that I know of besides the classic Ortofons is the Shelter 501 mono and the Miyajima Labs Premium Ebony mono. There may be others, but these were the carts that I found.
"A genuine mono cart has no vertical compliance."

I've seen that written in many places, but it's difficult for me to even conceive of a cartridge with absolutely no vertical compliance. How does it deal with warps? It seems even the slightest surface irregularity would send the whole tonearm flying up off the record if the cart has no vertical compliance. Doesn't there have to be at least some degree of "shock absorption"? Can someone fill me in?
-Bob