Mono recordings

Very nice.
Your upgrade path, 2nd arm and mono cartridge and a phono stage with a mono circuit, really gets to the root of my original question. After the upgrade, how will the SQ or listening experience compare  to playing one of your mono lps on my VPI Classic 3/Soundsmith Zephyr MkII?  Wish I could hear a mono lp on your system both before and after the upgrade. Enjoy the music!

If the original is mono then it is what the artist and producer made at that time. You are hearing the music as others first heard it 50 years ago. For example, a lot of Beatles was only Mono until they went back and remixed several years after.

Like a neutral audio setup vs a euphonic one - some are not interested in accuracy or originality of the recording but others want to hear the music as faithfully as it appeared on the first recording issued.

Lots of great responses rockyboy. The only way you'll ever know is to someday try it for yourself. It will be a point of finances in the end as to if you're willing to spend the money necessary to go this route over improving what you already have or buying more music.

I'm retired and must prioritize my purchases very carefully. Right now in my life, mono capability is not something I lust after.  But I knew there were audiophiles out there who cherished their mono recordings and I wondered why. Now I know. Upgrading my DAC is at the top of my priority list. Upgrading my Soundsmith Zephyr  is probably next. And losing 30lbs is third.

Thanks, rockyboy,
A true mono stylus is made for classic mono records, and the same applies for a stereo stylus and stereo recordings. The contact areas and how those contact areas are configured in the grooves of both formats are different. So, a mono stylus in a mono record groove will have better sound than a stereo stylus in the same mono groove. The bottom line, using a stereo cartridge to play true mono records is a compromise.

I wound up with about 700 mono records from my accountant, plus others that I've collected over time. Those recordings deserve to shine. For me, this is the way of the audiophile. Oh brother, did I really say that? - LOL
I did,
Kenny