I've been thinking of this more and more lately. I'd like to get some more opinions on my old original topic.
I don't want to drop a lot of dough on a mono cartridge; I'm thinking under $300 new or used. I don't have any 78s, all 33s. Contenders in this price range are:
Audio Technica ATmono3 (I think this is a 78 cart though)
Denon 102 mono (I've read that the diamond is not optimized for mono grooves)
Grado ME+ (I've been informed that Grados aren't a good match for my arm - LAD/Jelco - others disagree with this opinion)
Ortofon D25m
What I'm looking for is a cartridge whose diamond is optimally cut for the majority of mono records (33 1/3) out there. Hopefully this will pull out the most from the groove and reduce the noise floor. Am I wrong about this?
Now here's the other option. I have a couple of very good stereo carts; a Benz M2 wood body (with top Soundsmith retip) and a ZYX Fuji (also with top Soundsmith retip). My preamp also has a mono switch. Given the level of the carts I currently have and the budget level of the carts I'm willing to buy, am I better off just using the mono switch with my current cartridges or getting a true, albeit a budget, mono cart?
