I knew Tom would put it rather better than I could!
I knew Tom would put it rather better than I could!
Location: gone
Posts: 11,519
I'm gone.
Why has this thread been moved to Analogue Art?
You can get mono recordings in digital as well. I've been listening to some streamed today.
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Some wonderful digital mono, I agree. I've picked up a few wonderful 78 transcriptions on digital lately, Andrew Rose of Pristine Classics is working some real magic with them. I have a spectacularly good recording of Thibauld and Cortot playing the Beethoven Kreuzer sonata from 1929 that sounds like something at least mid-century. I buy on CD rather than download (the CDs are cut to order).
Having said that there was a time when mono transferred onto CD tended to be done pretty badly - I think in the late 80s and 90s the skills of doing decent transcriptions were largely lost. Thankfully though a new generation has come through that really understands both the strengths and needs of the originals, with access to some pretty incredible digital tools.
Ammonite, perhaps your mono sounds spectacular because you’re listening to it with a Miyajima Zero? That is a pretty amazing cartridge! I imagine everything that comes through it sounds fairly decent!
I recall as a boy, when I first started reading stereo magazines, seeing pictures of old men with huge mono rigs. A homemade speaker resembling a Klipsch Horn, a tubed amp taken out of an old wooden console system, and some retro-fitted suitcase record player. Just one big speaker. I can imagine compared to what had come before, they were making serious headway into the realms of high fidelity. I’m guessing this was in the early to mid 50’s? Early 60’s maybe?
As a young man, I had a friend who was completely deaf in one ear. But he loved stereo! And I asked him if he could describe what he was hearing, and he did have some kind of soundstage in his head.
Russell
I have a dedicated mono system. It uses 1950s tech. The turntable is a garrard 4HF (with magnetic cartridge), the amplifier is an ultra-linear push-pull 6L6 valve circuit, and the speaker is a Plessey-Rola 12" fullrange. Even with these "limitations" I get a very pleasing sound.
I have some favourite mono labels, but by far the most favourite, are the Decca FFRR recordings. Also older Westminster, Columbia, His Master's Voice.. These are mostly classical. Someone mentioned BlueNote jazz. I don't have any monos of these, but I do have some Clef label mono, which I believe preceded BlueNote. Then of course there's the early pop era mono, including Beatles, Stones etc. All do well in full mono
The Decca LXT mono recordings are very nice mate, whenever I see them on my travels I usually pick them up. If you do see some Blue note mono recordings at the right price always buy them they are fantastic, Ive also got some reissue mono Blue note recordings and they are also superb.
Vinyl rig 1 - NAS Spacedeck / FR64s / Lab 12 Melto / Denon SUT / Ortofon GM SPU. Vinyl rig 2 Mono Set Up - Lenco GL75 c/w Jelco 750D / AT33 Mono / EAR 834P Modded. Amplifiers - Audio Note Empress Silver / Hattor Passive Pre. Digital - Fanless Mini PC / Lampizator TRP / Linear PSU / Hummingboard Network audio adaptor. Speakers - Horns.pl Mummy's. Cables are Audio Note / Albedo / Furutech Speaker wire. Power conditioner is a Gigawatt PC2 EVO
I dare say that the Miyajima mono cart is a wonderful cart and one I wouldnt mind owning, but mono playback can be enjoyable with a stereo cart, I use an original Shure 75ED moving magnet cartridge through a mono switch box (thankyou Alan aka Mr Firebottle), seems to do a very admirable job. I was playing recently the Louis Armstrong Satchmo plays King Oliver on the Fidelity lable, its an original mono 1959 pressing, simply wonderful, Ive got a stereo version of this album and the mono beats this by a country mile.
God knows what it would sound like with a Miyajima mono cart, one can only dream
Vinyl rig 1 - NAS Spacedeck / FR64s / Lab 12 Melto / Denon SUT / Ortofon GM SPU. Vinyl rig 2 Mono Set Up - Lenco GL75 c/w Jelco 750D / AT33 Mono / EAR 834P Modded. Amplifiers - Audio Note Empress Silver / Hattor Passive Pre. Digital - Fanless Mini PC / Lampizator TRP / Linear PSU / Hummingboard Network audio adaptor. Speakers - Horns.pl Mummy's. Cables are Audio Note / Albedo / Furutech Speaker wire. Power conditioner is a Gigawatt PC2 EVO
I too listen to mono with 2 speakers. It take a while afterwards for me to adjust to the gimmickry that is stereo...
TT 1 Trans-Fi Salvation with magnetic bearing + Trans-Fi Terminator T3Pro + London Reference
TT 2 Garrard 301 with NWA main bearing + Audiomods Series Six 10.5" + Ortofon 2M Mono SE
Digital Lindemann Bridge + Gustard R26 with LB external clock
Pre and Power Amp EWA M40P + M40A
Bass Amp & DSP Behringer iNuke NU3000DSP x 2
Speakers 1 Bastanis Sagarmatha Duo with twin baffleless 15" bass drivers per side
Speakers 2 MarkaudioSota Viotti Tower
Location: London/Durham
Posts: 7,006
I'm Lawrence.
There is real soundstage in mono it's caused by room interaction. Unless you listen outside or in an anechoic chamber. Place your speaker(s) well and it's great.
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