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Welcome Licorice Pizza (LP) lovers! Setup guides and Vinyl FAQ.

RE: The more I look into this the more confused I get.

Hi Garrod,

If you're happy with the sound you're getting from your records I'd leave things alone. If all your records are in good condition the Koetsu is going to get the best out of them. However if, like me, your collection includes beaten up 45s and LPs then having something more suited to them makes sense and will lengthen the life of your Koetsu's stylus.

Vintage stereo cartridges like the Shure M3D and Pickering 380A are actually very good mono cartridges. So my view is that a very good stereo cartridge like your Koetsu, will do the same for your mono records as it does your stereo ones.

As to experimenting with different stylus profiles I've a complete set of Shure M44/55 styli (0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 1.0 conical and 0.2x0.7 and 0.4x0.7) so I can compare apples with apples. A 1.0mil conical can clean up worn mono records, but most of the time the difference over a 0.7mil is marginal. It's the cartridge and quality of the stylus that makes the difference. The mono Denon DL-102 has a 0.7mil tip and the Lyra Helikon mono has a line contact 0.7mil tip, so you can play stereo records with them as well.

If you do decide to get another Garrard or a second arm with detachable headshell on your 401, you can also enter the world of 78s. Whoops, off topic.

Hope this helps.




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