Teasing the Korean

Thank you. I have read about various mono cartridges, but none of the descriptions that I've encountered have articulated precisely how their stylus handles the two very different types of grooves. If there is more going on than summing the left and right, I would love to read a clear explanation. Both speakers will function, but you will be sending an identical signal to both speakers. I have used the Y cable between the turntable cables and phono input on the amp. I would suggest using this just with LPs and not with CDs, as some mono CDs were mastered with stereo tape heads, and as a result, there can be azimuth issues when these are played back in mono.

Assuming you are talking about mono LPs from the mono-only era. Mono LPs pressed during the past 7 decades - including reissues of earlier mono albums - use stereo groove configurations, so a mono stylus is useless for them.

A Y converter is much cheaper and just as effective. The only catch is that you would need easy access to the jacks.

So Ortofon is making the claim that their stylus is cut to work equally well for both pre- and post-1958 mono LPs? I don't buy it.

There were a few different technologies with rechanneled stereo. Records with mild EQ differences between left and right generally folded well to mono without discernible issues. But some labels - notably Capitol and RCA - would place one channel on a split-second delay. This type of rechanneled stereo resulted in phase issues.

Thanks. I finally tested negative yesterday. If I test negative again on Tuesday, I am supposedly out of the woods.

If it was rechanneled stereo, that may explain the phase issues.

It depends on how the stereo album is mixed and if it is in phase. Generally, what happens is that whatever is mixed in the center is increased by about 6 dB relative to what is placed on the left or right. So, this can a be a good or bad thing, or negligible, depending on the particulars. Most Blue Note stereo albums are IMO improved when you play them back in mono, because RVG made the mono albums from the stereo tapes, and set the levels so that the stereo would collapse well to mono.

Uncut Gems - The Safdie Brothers

The Beach Boys Today (Capitol, mono) I get rid of "Bull Session with the Big Daddy" and start side 2 with "Guess I'm Dumb" by Glen Campbell. It is now a perfect album, by 1965 teen pop standards.

Oh, I prefer mono right up until the end. I almost always buy a mono copy of an album over a stereo, all other factors being equal. When you say "true mono," Keep in mind that an album could have been recorded in mono or mixed for mono, but still have stereo groove configurations. This was the case with mono LPs dating from the mono/stereo era, roughly 1958-68 (in the US). But mono LPs pre-1958 have different groove configurations. So, if you have Sinatra's Wee Small Hours LP with dark grey labels, it is likely cut with mono grooves. But if you have a mono copy of the same LP with the Capitol rainbow label, it is pressed with stereo-compatible grooves.

The Seductive Voice of Wanda de Sah - Softly (Capitol, stereo)

A mono cartridge is no different from having a mono button on your amp. If you don't have a mono button on your amp, you can get an inexpensive Y converter for playing mono LPs. If you have a true mono stylus, it is good only for mono LPs from the pre-stereo era, as later mono LPs used a stereo groove configuration.

Angelo Lavagnino - Requiem for a Gringo Johnny Mandel - Point Blank Jerry Fielding - The Outfit

👍 Also watching The Curse (Benny Safdie).

Albert Ayler - New Grass

Has this happened to you? It happened to me at least twice, in two different cities, a few years before the pandemic. 1. Dusty Groove (Chicago) - I walked in, and I had a feeling that I would find Paul Horn's Cleopatra album on Columbia. I go to the Paul Horn section, and...it's not there. I continue browsing through the store, and at the very end, I look through the new arrivals, and lo and behold, there is a pristine mono copy of Cleopatra. 2. Philadelphia Record Exchange - I walked in, and was sure that I would find a copy of Erroll Garner's Other Voices. The Erroll Garner section was particularly fat, and I had several copies to choose from. I grabbed the mono 6-eye original. The funny thing about both of these situations was that I was not specifically looking for either of these LPs.

Sorry, I meant Babs Gonzales.

So, did anyone else pick this up? I am spinning again now, and totally digging it. The two scores are very different from one another, but I really like both.

Yeah, either make it an event, or don't bother!

Well, the Centenary album is out. Seven tracks, collectively clocking in at 27 minutes. Download only. I'll stick with the original LPs. https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/the-henry-mancini-100th-sessions-henry-has-company-henry-mancini/wn3s8tk38ov9b

Wow, so Dave is 90! Was never into his jazz records, but I love his 60s & 70s film & TV stuff.

Ugh!

So I've had Covid for a week and am still testing positive. I feel mildly better than I did, but it's still touch and go. What are peoples' experiences with paxlovid or remdesivir? Are they even effective after someone has had Covid for a while?