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The entire posting was fascinating.

Can Ortofon send you a standard (non-SE) spherical stylus, as well, so you can compare it with the Shibata stylus of the SE version?

How important is it to have a mono cartridge?

Isn't this cartridge design only internally bridged for mono, and not a true mono design as per Lyra's mono offering?

...was not easily found when the article was first posted. There seemed to be a variety of links at the bottom of page 1 that led to photo galleries, but no additional link to page 2 once in the gallery. I noticed a short time later that the links at the bottom of page 1 were corrected and only a link to page 2 was present. Perhaps that brief link snafu was responsible.

And outstanding article, BTW! Hard to imagine that anyone would intentionally avoid page 2 (assuming they'd read page 1).

I really do like the idea, but it isn't practical for me. I wish I had a 2 arm table. I could get a second table, but instead would most likely throw the cash towards a better cartridge.

Posts should be one page, not two. Spreading one post in multiple pages stinks of click bait like those lame "slideshows" or "lists" found everywhere to increase number of clicks. If it's one story it should be on one page.

i use this on my ar xa turntable and it sounds great....and its only $140.

For the all the great details. Very interesting indeed. Many thanks!

A mono cart to use with records cut with a stereo cutter head. Hmmm...

So, I might be one of a select few with this question, but,

I have a Weathers mono playback arm/cart/demodulator system from 1954. It has no vertical compliance.

Would it be safe to play such mono records with it? It is said to track at 1 gram.

I could go the rest of my life without another article about Beatles re-re-re-re-releases. There's a world of interesting stuff out there and people are still concerned about seeing if there is a shred of meat to pick off the dessicated carcass of the Beatles' catalog?

Is this special 2m a real mono cartridge or a stereo 2m internally strapped for mono ?

Thanks!

Shibata huh? It reminds me of my old Shure V15 Type 5-MR. I've literally had it in a drawer since 1986. I should dig it out.

and if you think there are too many pieces on the Beatles and their re-issues why are you wasting your time reading and posting on one? Move along, get on with other things and don't waste our time reading about you bitching about it. Glad to see this stylus coming out and the conversation it started on the benefits of a dedicated mono stylus. Something I've debated for awhile and this cartridge fits a decent price point for me to experiment. Especially after picking up the VPI 3D arm and freeing up the original arm for just such a use.

What are the differences between the standard 2m mono and this special edition?

For those serious about mono, setup the room with just one loudspeaker.

Are the internals of the Ortofon Mono cartridge different from their standard 2M cartridges or is it just the stylus, or both?
Would be great if I could use my current 2M black body and just plug the 2M Mono stylus in.
Is this assumption incorrect?

So would you be better off (for the purpose of solely listening to mono) with a $1000 stereo cart or a $500 mono cart? (assuming they were both at the same level relative to their price point, i.e. Ortofon 2M Mono vs 2M Black)

I guess if you had a tonearm with a detachable headshell (and you had two headshells wired up) you could swap between a stereo and a mono cart without too much fuss. Although having 2 tonearms on your table would be a better (but more expensive) solution.

Maybe (after the record/platter mat showdown is over) you could post a pair of blind test files of a mono recording - one made using the 2M Mono SE and the other using a 2M Black with the outputs electrically summed in the preamp. We could then get a sense how much difference using a dedicated mono cartridge (as opposed to simply summing the outputs of a regular stereo cartridge) might make.

Well, I also read the entire article and loved it. I even pre-ordered the set, I just hope its worth it. As for the mono cartridge, my pre-amp has a mono setting, so I guess I don't need it, but I'll reconsider if Mickey agrees to come over to my house the next time he's in Westchester and help me set it up. :)

Will an analog stereo version be soon produced, as was the case with the CD box sets? Come on, Michael, tell us if you know! Thanks.

Kudos to the photographer for getting the photo such that the cartridge looks as if it's adrift in the groove. Way cool.

BEATLES
The story about Michael's visit to Abbey road was so great. I read it twice and imagined what it would be like to listen to those master tapes with my own ears. Great stuff. Couldn't have been easy to stay quiet for a year, especially with everyone crying for the mono set to come out.

USER EXPERIENCE
I work in this field and see clicks drop significantly when you ask your visitor to take an unnecessary action. People are busy and have other sites to visit and work to do before we finish lunch, etc. Unless you're going for pageviews (which would make sense, since advertisers pay more for more pageviews and this is a business after all), you'll want to either publish on one page or take a cue from the NYTimes and add a "single page" link at the top that allows the visitor to choose for him/herself.

2 cents

I am 30 and I enjoyed that article a lot. It was really neat to see the master tapes and get a chance to hear about the inside of Abbey Road Studios. I also enjoyed the smile on your face as it was obvious that you were enjoying yourself. As I am far too young to experience the Beatles when they first arrived in the States, it was moving to hear your response to walking into the same recording studio that the Beatles did.

My favorite band is Journey, so I would have a similar reaction if I were able to walk into their recording studio. That is the power of music- it becomes a soundtrack of your life as you mentioned and it is forever associated with distinct moments of your life.

I personally like the multiple page format. It is easier to digest in smaller chunks and I think it's cleaner looking as opposed to one long article. I didn't have any issue finding the second page. One issue I do have on the site sometimes is trying to locate older articles/reviews using the search feature.

I suspect that half the people who only read page one where in such a hurry to order their copies that they didn't read page two.

For those of you like me who have tried to order this cartridge from the US only to discover you COULDN'T, I've got good news. After a bit of back-and-forth with Ortofon in Denmark, they have agreed to open up the EU website to allow shipping to the USA. I don't know for how long, so if you're interested you'd best jump on it now. The URL is http://www.ortofon-shop.com/shop/dj?page=shop.browse&category_id=79

You will need to sign up with Ortofon first. Also, be aware that the order process is a bit unclear. Although the site implies there's a step where you need to specify payment method, if you go ahead and select the default method and go to the last step, you can alter the payment method on that last page. Worked for me this week - YMMV.

-rich cook-

As someone who has just maxed out his meagre budget on a Debut Carbon Esprit with an Ortofon 2m Red Cartridge and a good second-hand Project Tube Box 1, I can't afford a mono cartridge. My amp is a Pioneer VSX 527 with no mono switch. By summing the cables between preamp and amp, am I likely to get a worthwhile result out of the new Beatles mono albums?