Nac 82 Mono Button and Mono Cartridge?

It’s swings and roundabouts actually.... 

On mono recordings pressing a mono button doesn’t seem to change the sound by a great deal.
On some albums, which were artifically ‘inlfated’ to stereo (e.g. a trumpet is suddenly lost in the wilderness of a right channel), pressign the mono button restores the order.

If you own a lot of original mono records I’d actually recommend getting a dedicated mono catridge. It’s stylus is shaped differently.

On a mono recording pressing the mono button should make no difference at all. If it does something is not optimal or aligned correctly elsewhere... the mono button can be a good way of exposing issues.

On a 202, Mon means monitor. On a 282, Mon means mono. Somewhat misleadingly, two identical looking buttons have entirely different functions on different preamps, so if you are wondering why the Mon button is not doing what you think it should, maybe check the manual! ???? 

On some mono records, the earlier ones, there is noise in the virtical plane of the groove, the mono button will eliminate this at the cost of a little liveliness. Later mono pressings allowed for the possibility of replay with a stereo cartridge and there won’t be the background sound of frying bacon when using the stereo setting.

I’ve yet to setup my mono cartridge but its a Decca maroon and may be atypical of a modern mono cartridge.

Thanks for the answers I have a mono cart coming on loan tomorrow and possibly another next week so I will post my findings in due course.  I would hope that once you have a mono cart fitted that engaging the mono button on an 82 does make some difference otherwise what is it's purposes.

Anyway hopefully my findings will be of interest to some as if like me you have a detachable headshell swapping them around is reasonably easy.

I think the mono button is a substitute for a mono cartridge but the cartridge is alledged to be better, you won’t use the mono switch for long with it.

If you’re only swapping headshells you’re going to have to set up at least the VTF for the mono cartridge if not the VTA and bias too. Dynavector don’t list a mono version of the cartridge in your profile. It doesn’t make for easy cartridge swaps unless you find a cartridge available in stereo and mono. Ortofon (SPU maybe?) and Lyra both do this and there are others but you still have batch variation to contend with. Otherwise you’re looking at two decks (which is what I’m doing, just not in the same country) or an arm were you can swap arm tops along with their settings. An Aro obviously but that’s not so easy these days, VPI but on a Linn? Audio Origami Uniarm would fit the bill by the look of it.

I have an Ortofon SPU GM II coming on loan. The arm I have the FR12 is easily adjustable but and I say this fully aware that it is controversial I’m not a believer that tweaking the vta by a few degrees makes any difference and if you get your tonearm parallel with it’s own reflection and your cart nice and central, flat and slightly forward in the head shell then you won’t go far wrong. 

Apart from an Allen key, small screwdriver, a small spanner and some tweezers I’ve set set all my carts up for the past two to three years using my eyes and ears. 

With a detachable head shell cart like an SPU set up for you you can’t really go far wrong as long as you have a nice parallel arm and I certainly don’t feel as if I need matching carts in stereo and mono or two arms. 

Ive got some very nice 6 eye Columbia mono pressings that Im looking forward to hearing with the SPU. 

A spherical stylus should be unfussy so just the VTF and bias to fiddle with then, you can leave VTA as set by ear for the DV. A line contact stylus should be sensitive, I found the DV 17/D3’s to be in an Aro at any rate but there’s only one arbiter that matters.

Yes that's right YETI42 and for VTF  I have an Ortofon balance gauge and for Bias correction I have my HIFI IN SOUND test LP which has five seperate test tracks for tracking and bias.

I'm looking forward to trying the Ortofon SPU Mono GM  which is almost 60 years old now and contemporary with most of the records I'll be playing. Ortofon say as far as possible where technological advances have allowed they have kept the SPU as close to the original as possible.

I'm just curious to see if there is anything in this 'mono is better' that you here on other forums of course this generally said by owners of expensive valve based systems and horn speakers but it isn't going to cost me anything apart from time.

I've just picked up an old General Electric VR III Mono cartridge with a NOS stylus fitted into old Stanton headshell.  These need a tracking force of at least 4 grams and a loading of 47 ohms.  I'm really looking forward to playing some old mono records later 

A bit of a mixed bag with the GE VR III it really does need tracking right up but I finally got that and the bias correct and played a Mono copy of Oscar Peterson Trio - Night Train  which  sounded at least equal to the stereo 20x2L which is saying something when the GE can be had for £70. But then I played Miles Davis live in Europe which is a UK 1st press CBS  mono copy and it sounded a bit closed in I played it again with the 20x2L and that lovely bass returned and it opened right up so a bit of a mixed bag so far.

Just picked up this beauty on loan with a view to buying Ortofon Mono SPU GM MkII

I haven't put it through it's paces yet just a quick ten second spin of Oscar Peterson's masterpiece 'Night Train'  earlier to make sure it is set up right I can't wait to give it a proper spin later.

That looks a monster, Bob!

Quick question though, is the front left corner of your armboard touching the top plate?

Bit of an illusion I think Chris it does track at 4+ grams though. 

But I’m not anal when it comes to set up I just let my ears decide. 

The bass from this thing is phenomenal 

And what effect the mono button?

Not very much YETI42 it is quite a strange one because as soon as you press it something does happen but then when you try and put your finger on it you can’t. 

The difference between the the SPU mono and the 20x2L though is quite marked. First is the bass much more defined and tuneful bass then there is less detail coming through the mono but there just seems to be more of every thing else a broader sound but with less fine details in the top end if all that makes sense. 

It makes perfect sense in respect of the conical stylus and the low compliance of the SPU compared to the line contact stylus and medium compliance  of the DV. 

This afternoon I persuaded my other half to sit down and blind A.B test three cartridges as she has exceptional hearing when it comes to music and I trust her ears even above my own.

The three carts were Ortofon SPU GM Mk II Mono, General Electric VR III Mono and a Dynavector 20x2L Stereo

System was Nac 82 (mono button pressed)/HC/180 > Dynaudio Contour S3.4                                                                                 

Test record was Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab Mono remaster of Miles Davies - Round About Midnight  side 1.

In first place and I agreed was surprisingly the only non mono cart the 20x2L

Second was the SPU mono

and third was the GE VR III mono.

Not surprisingly the sixty year old GE VR III with NOS stylus came last but for a cart that you can buy for £70 or less it performed very well and probably suffered from coming after the SPU because next to it it did sound a bit flat but not at all bad for the cost.

The SPU had the best bass of the three lovely deep round bass notes but gave away a little to the 20x2L in detail and placement of instrument and like the other mono cart was slightly narrow. 

 At £675 for a mono cart the SPU should really have been the star but it was my own Dynavector 20x2L  that won which made me very happy because I don't feel like I half to shell out on expensive mono cart to get the best out of my mono records. Although the SPU had the better bass over all the finer detail, wider stage and instrument seperation of the                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   of the Dynavector that shone.

Perhaps if I had very, very expensive  Valve mono amps or a set up more sympathetic to mono records  then the  expensive mono cart would have had more of a chance to reall show off.