Mono or Stereo

[alchemist 1]

Maybe a little late too the party, considering purchasing Beatles boxed set. (xmas treat)

Knowing they were originally recorded for listening in mono,

Which would be best ?

What would be needed to play the mono edition ?

 

[good_enough]

I've played mono records (first Stones LP, Spencer Davis Group, a few old blues, numerous classical) no problem with any of my stereo carts. There are true audiophiles who suggest that you get a dedicated mono cart - I've never gone that far and I'm very happy with the sound I get.

WRT 'which is best' I think you get both the original and the remix in the box set so you can do a side by side yourself with your existing kit.

 

[AntAxon]

It really depends on whether you are a Beatles purist or not. Both are really good I have both and I think the recording quality on the mono box set is better and it is great to hear the recordings as The Beatles intended. There are several differences between the mono and stereo recordings on many tracks but unless you are a Beatles fanatic you would not notice them. However the stereo version is more complete as it comes with Yellow Submarine, Let it Be and Abbey Road.

The mono version plays perfectly okay using a modern stereo stylus, Ortofon did make a mono cartridge especially for The Beatles in mono box set but it is not necessary. If you have a mono switch on your amplifier all the better but it really makes very little difference.

Looking on the internet it seems very difficult to get the mono box set for a sensible price, however the Beatles Store and Abbey Road store have the stereo set for £289.99. I'd go for that I think.

 

[good_enough]

Oh I misread the OP. With all the attention on the Sgt Pepper Giles Martin remix, that was the one I thought about - the set does contain both. But if you're going 'all mono' or 'all stereo' that's a bigger choice.

From what one reads, the earlier steros from the Martin/Abbey Road days were pretty primitive, and that's certainly what I get from my stereo copy of Abbey Road and Sgt Pepper - just 'bung all the drums over there in that corner' and 'let's stick George over to one side'. I'm tempted by the Giles Martin Pepper remix as that's supposed to be more subtle in the modern styl-ee. So I personally am tempted to hear the monos as they're likely less distracting.

By 'The Beatles' (White Album) the stereo is more grown up and I can listen to that without wondering WTF is going on, or doing an impression of a tennis crowd when the guitar comes in.

Just a personal view as are all things audio - buying music or kit by reading about it is difficult! I guess as @AntAxon suggests, a mono button on the amp would take away the conundrum as you could listen to the stereo versions without the 'kid with a new toy' stereo effects.

 

[AntAxon]

From what one reads, the earlier steros from the Martin/Abbey Road days were pretty primitive, and that's certainly what I get from my stereo copy of Abbey Road and Sgt Pepper - just 'bung all the drums over there in that corner' and 'let's stick George over to one side'. I'm tempted by the Giles Martin Pepper remix as that's supposed to be more subtle in the modern styl-ee. So I personally am tempted to hear the monos as they're likely less distracting.

You are exactly right about Sgt Peppers the original stereo version is pretty poor but the new stereo remix is bloody brilliant, Giles Martin did an excellent job. It is far superior to even the mono version in my opinion.

 

[MajorFubar]

I only have the mono set on CD. It was definitely worth the purchase. You won't need any special cartridge if you buy the modern re-masters, they were cut with a stereo Telefunken head wired for mono, not a mono head. The huge marketing ploy which saw the launch of a mono cartridge to go with the mono box set was just that: a marketing ploy. Though if you have a way of monauralising the output at the amp end (eg a mono button), use it: surface noise will likely decrease and sibilants caused by tracking errors will be reduced.

 

[Al ears]

I only have the mono set on CD. It was definitely worth the purchase. You won't need any special cartridge if you buy the modern re-masters, they were cut with a stereo Telefunken head wired for mono, not a mono head. The huge marketing ploy which saw the launch of a mono cartridge to go with the mono box set was just that: a marketing ploy. Though if you have a way of monauralising the output at the amp end (eg a mono button), use it: surface noise will likely decrease and sibilants caused by tracking errors will be reduced.

I somewhat agree with Major. If this is to be the only mono album in your collection that it would seem pointless shelling out on a new cartridge. Be prepared for a little surface noise possibly as not many of today's amps have a mono button.

 

[AntAxon]

I somewhat agree with Major. If this is to be the only mono album in your collection that it would seem pointless shelling out on a new cartridge. Be prepared for a little surface noise possibly as not many of today's amps have a mono button.

I have never noticed any surface noise with my mono Beatles vinyl. I think they are probably the best quality vinyl pressings I have in my collection. I did clean them with a Knosti before I played them, always use a carbon brush and clean the stylus with an Onzow Zerodust. You hardly ever notice any noise even when the record is at the end.

I totally agree it is not worth buying a mono cartridge.

 

[MajorFubar]

I have never noticed any surface noise with my mono Beatles vinyl. I think they are probably the best quality vinyl pressings I have in my collection. I did clean them with a Knosti before I played them, always use a carbon brush and clean the stylus with an Onzow Zerodust. You hardly ever notice any noise even when the record is at the end.

I totally agree it is not worth buying a mono cartridge.

I didn't really mean they exhibit higher surface noise. It's to do with the fact that the process used to de-matrix two channels of audio from one plastic groove unavoidably raises the level of the vinyl roar, on every record. This noise is inherently out of phase (as are 'dishtorted shibilants', usually) and therefore is mostly cancelled out when you mono the cartridge output. So if the audio on the record is mono to start with, and you have a mono button, pressing it allows you to take advantage of the benefits it brings.

In practise it's like how an FM tuner's mono button (or the mono button on an amp) reduces the background hiss on weak stereo broadcasts. The method by which stereo audio is multiplexed both on FM broadcasts and on records is surprisingly similar.

 

[alchemist 1]

Would this be a sufficient compromise ?

Used to have Sansui amp witha mono button

 

[AntAxon]

Would this be a sufficient compromise ?

Used to have Sansui amp witha mono button

But really there is no need the records sound just fine, if you live in Kent and want a side by side comparison between stereo and mono recordings you would be most welcome.

 

[MajorFubar]

Would this be a sufficient compromise ?

Used to have Sansui amp witha mono button

Yes, but then you could only shove it in either L or R not both. Probably not worth the faff. It was just a suggestion if you do have a mono button.

 

[AntAxon]

You need to buy a "double Y". The first part of it will be two female plugs on one end with a single male plug on the other. This essentially takes your stereo signal and combines the channels to one. So, plug the interconnect of your turntable in to this. Now, buy another Y cord with a single female on one and branching out to two males on the other. This is just to spread the sound out to your two speakers. Plug the female and male together and plug the two males into your system. You are now in L+R mono.

 

[emcc_3]

I second the double Y. Works good with my setup and no need for a 300 quid mono cart.

 

[entrails]

I've tried the box set with various cartridge and turntable options and here are some comments that might give you some ideas about your own options.

The first thing to mention are the early 60's rock genre mono pressings general strengths. They avoid the rather strange choices of stereo separation which were partly down to avoiding the a gimmicky way out sound stage approach to selling a new technological advance of stereo to "the kids". Also in the Beatles case with the earliest sessions George Martin primarily used the different left and right channels in isolation to get vocals and individual instruments as clear as possible for when they were blended in the mono mix. As the stereo versions have dominated for years we have got so used to them that we do the mono mixing in our heads and first listening to the mono mixes can seem wierd but with repeat listens these mono versions start to sound better and better.

The pure early mono cartridges are very simple but highly effective in providing hifi sound and can be magical with Jazz and Classical mono recordings from the same era that were recorded using simple well established techniques that capture the atmosphere and sonics of the venue. This is not the case with most rock sessions especially as more production techniques were used to get novel sounds. The mono cartridges with rock did however have strengths in providing deep powerful bass and sonic attack. This is partly why the Dansette brigade who crowded round the precious new Beatles releases were knocked off their feet by what they heard and why they just didn't get the same experience from the stereo rereleases when they had played the early lps to destruction.

The mono box set has had so much love and care put into it but the greatest improvements have been experienced by the reviewers with very high end specialist kit such as the Miyajima zero mono cart; well over a grand. The improvements with a more modest hifi will be limited to sorting out the left right mixing. This would be done just as well by the CD mono boxset from 2009 or more recently by the Beatles US albums boxset (which provides the mono and stereo mixes on each disc and has more punchy equalisation on the stereo mixes).

I used for all of my Beatles listening options an Icon audio phono preamp with a mono switch. When using stereo cartridges I could not hear much difference from when the mono switch was turned on or off. This was in marked contrast to most vintage used mono lps where applying the mono switch significantly improves the sound by reducing the surface noises from wear and damage sent out by a stereo cartridge to the left and right extremes far away from the music in the centre. So I dont think mono swtches or Y configurations are necessary if people are only going to buy a few mono reissues to play on their stero system.

I was a bit underwhelmed when I tried the mono boxset with a modded technics 1200 using a Dynavector 10x5 HOMC. I expected the cartridge to be able to pick out greater detail and I expected a greater punch with the performances.

Over the following year I changed over to a Lenco GL 75 with the standard Shure MM M75 cartridge. There was a greater attack to the music but a loss in detail compared to the Dynavector. This was probably due to the greater bass presence of using an idler drive turntable and a reintroducing a moving magnet cartridge.

A few months later I had built for me a stereo stylus using a Fritz Gyger s tip to work with a Goldring G800 moving iron, on this the box sets level of fidelity massively improved and the first few albums were a revelation picking up previously unheard details but the downside was it also exposed more of the compression of the later albums and lacked a bit of punch. It excelled most in the more quiet tracks like Till there was you.

The lenco has interchangeable headshells and on one I now have the entry level pure mono 0.7 Miyajima kotetu moving coil. It is mainly used by me for vintage monos. I have recently started using it on the Beatles and Rolling stones box sets and it is growing on me. Although it does not dig up the level of detail of the fritz gyger tip it finally brings in a dgeree of the level of punch and attack that the Dansette generation experienced. For example the single version of Revolution is a full Spinal Tap up to 11primitive experience that easily explains why so many were returned at the time thinking the single was faulty. The improvement with the Stones is even greater due to the nature of their more blues rock hard edge albums which has previously sounded tamed by the FG.

In summary the vinyl monos are great but if you have a better digital rather than analogue system get the CD's instead. With vinyl you also get more detail the better your stereo system. With mono cartriges you get greater attack, presence and complaining neighbours.