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As the person who suggested a 'mono' room at CAF, I suppose it is now time to comment.

For me, one of the great aspects of DIY is the possibility of doing things differently. The CAF room should reflect that aspect. The days of mono are long gone but I think it would be fascinating for many audiophiles to hear a true mono system in a room setup that is optimized for mono playback.

So just one speaker, one amp (if not bi-amping) etc. I presume somebody would need to work out how best to set up the room since the requirements would presumably be different from a stereo setup.

It would be an interesting experiment.

ray

Let’s do it

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I can explain it to you, but I can’t understand it for you.

One thing that always impressed me with a good mono recordings from what I have heard at Dave Pogue's is a tonal realism and musicality. Maybe it was the 78's, but I have also noticed this with the mono LPs I have heard. Also, it is quite easy to hear depth and layering. I thing the ideal type of music would be a small ensemble, a soloist with accompaniment, or a solo piano. Really hard to make a convincing orchestral sound in mono. Of course there is alot of popular music in mono.

A vintage source (idler turntable, mono cartridge, with 78 capability if we went that route, though it might mean a different cartridge) would be a must. Also tubes, push-pull triodes (45s) would be ideal if 3 watts can do the job. A phonostage with different equalizations if we are using 78s before RIAA. And a good horn setup that can produce a big sound. It would be very interesting and distinctive.

David

I think that this is a good idea as it separates our group from doing normal stuff. I too have heard 78s and they can be fantastic when played properly. There is not anything special about stereo in that our brains process directionality ( why the ear has such a complex shape) far better than allowing just two directions represented by stereo.

David