Mono Recordings

[Prestige Worldwide]

I found a small treasure trove of old jazz LPs in my dad's basement from my late grandfather. A handful of 10" 33 1/2s, and a couple of cartons worth of old Benny Goodman, Satchmo, Charlie Parker, MJQ, Billie Holliday, etc, etc. Most are in pretty good condition.

My questions have to do with those that are either labelled 'mono' or aren't labelled at all (in terms of stereo or mono). First, do I have to use a mono-specific needle for these albums, or can I stick with my current setup? I have a VPI Aries II with a Shelter 501 mkII. I've heard that I can damage the lp if I don't go with a specific mono cartridge, but I'm not terribly interested in buying a second cartridge (and arm, for that matter).

Second, how do I determine which LPs are in mono and which are in stereo if they don't have any such identification? These records range from the early 50s to the mid 70s. Some say "ML" or "Hifi" but most say nothing. Should I go under the assumption that if it's silent, it's mono?

[Cody]

Congrats on the score.

A mono specific cartridge would be nice for the 50's pressings, but is not necessary for playback. It is my understanding that the early 50's mono pressings differ from their stereo counterpart is a negligible difference in the groove width, but this varies from label to label. 78rpm discs would require a special cartridge for playback.

Regarding Stereo versus Mono labeling, Stereo records were usually had a 25% greater retail price compared to their Mono counterpart until the early 60's, so if it was a Stereo, the company would have definitely advertized it as such.

[Prestige Worldwide]

Thanks Cody.

So if I hear you correctly, are you saying the only advantage to having a mono cartridge is for early mono pressings? Also, will there be any risk of damage or excessive wear to my stereo Shelter cartridge if I use it on some of the older mono lps?

[two dot]

Julian... we need you here...


Jeff... you there???

Help this guy...

[Cody]

Playing a 50's mono recording will wear a diamond no more than the equivalent 50's stereo counterpart.
I used to have slight concern about the early 50's discs, both stereo and mono, having a more 'shellack' like composition (DECCA and Mercury come to mind) would wear out my Ortofon SPU faster compared to more supple/flexible later vinyl , but I have outgrown it.

The only worry I would have is playing damaged records from the 50's that were eaten up by a sapphire stylus, disc changers, or just crappy decks in general.

Regarding the use of mono cartridges... I have gathered from a few sources that they truly shine on 50's and 60's pressed mono discs, as the grooves were just a little wider due to the fact that they are one track amplified into each groove evenly. This holds true to some extent for the modern mono releases, but the cutting lathes, which are also stereo capable most of the time, are just not the same as the original mono only rigs. Remember that Stereo was the standard after the mid 60's, and cutting lathes that were mono only became obsolete and neglected.

BUT, modern made mono cartridges differ from the 1960's EMT, Ortofon, Denon, ect. cartridges in ways that I do need to do more research on.