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Re: [ARSCLIST] Early stereo LPs: subject to mononuclearosis?
Rob Bamberger wrote:
I seem to recall hearing in the early 1960s (when I was a mere youth
developing an instinct that would, in due course, mistrust a
civilization that could come up with reprocessed stereo) that playing
stereo pressings on a monophonic record player would harm the stereo LP.
Was this a myth? At some point, stereo LP covers indicated that they
were mono-compatible. Was the prior warning meant to discourage people
from playing stereo records with their older, heavily weighted tonearms
and mono cartridges that would chew up the stereo groove?
It was not a myth. Some monaural cartridges had so little vertical
compliance that they would mash the difference signal out of existence
in a few playings. AFAIK, "mono compatible" meant that after you did
eliminate the vertical component, the horizontal (lateral) would still
play adequately with the incompliant cartridge.
Note that the issue was not so much tracking force per se but
compliance, displacement of the stylus assembly per unit of force applied.
Mike
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