mkuhl2000
Tape Rotation Coordinator
Wow...thanks for the Hudson mention there. I had not heard of them but they have some great prices on their products. Definitely going to get one of those acrylic mats.
Turntable Mat Destroyed My LP Collection...
- Thread starter ic-racer
- Start date
Wow...thanks for the Hudson mention there. I had not heard of them but they have some great prices on their products. Definitely going to get one of those acrylic mats.
freQ(*)Oddio
Super Member
the rubber mats are good for feedback elimination at higher listening levels, but the music resonance seems to be cushioned by it when compared to a solid platform. A solid support lets the notes ring out longer. Especially with cymbals. And more like high end tables sound.
ripblade
Super Member
Get the black one, and use generous amounts of double-sided tape to secure it to the platter. Acrylic sounds awesome, but these light weight mats need to be secured to the platter to sound their best.
Last night I looked at every LP in my collection. Realize this is my collection from the 1970s and 1980s. I suspect many persons would have donated or thrown all these out, but I kept them at my parents house so when I got married and a home, I discovered them and saved them. This was about 20 years ago.
Two-thirds of them are fine.
The one-third that is affected, almost all of them show the damage on only one side.
On the single affected side, usually only the first one to three tracks show the damage.
I think I can reconstruct the way it happened.
1) I got the JBL 590 just before Christmas.
2) I set them up with my M-45 Yamaha and got a new-to-me Yamaha Preamp for this purpose.
3) I decided to systematically listen to every LP in that old collection.
4) After listening to a side, I left the LP on the turntable mat, usually over night or more. This is probably when the damage occurred.
Two-thirds of them are fine.
The one-third that is affected, almost all of them show the damage on only one side.
On the single affected side, usually only the first one to three tracks show the damage.
I think I can reconstruct the way it happened.
1) I got the JBL 590 just before Christmas.
2) I set them up with my M-45 Yamaha and got a new-to-me Yamaha Preamp for this purpose.
3) I decided to systematically listen to every LP in that old collection.
4) After listening to a side, I left the LP on the turntable mat, usually over night or more. This is probably when the damage occurred.
ripblade
Super Member
Never a good practice to leave records on the mat. Even with a closed dust cover they accumulate fine dust particles which must be washed away before the record can be played again. This is aside from the off-gassing issue.
Try the glue peel....you have nothing to lose and everything to gain for the few minutes it takes to try it.
Try the glue peel....you have nothing to lose and everything to gain for the few minutes it takes to try it.
noisefreq
Super Member
I recently used Goo Gone to remove tape residue from a record.
It worked easy with a paper towel, turning the towel to a clean section with each wipe.
After the residue was removed I gave the vinyl a good wet cleaning with soap and water then my normal cleaning solution followed by a rinse and a vacuum.
No evidence of any adhesive or Goo Gone on the surface.
Looks like your records are already ruined, any attempt to clean them is worth the effort, IMO.
And don't discount leather mats.
I'm using one and it was cheap and easy to make.
It worked easy with a paper towel, turning the towel to a clean section with each wipe.
After the residue was removed I gave the vinyl a good wet cleaning with soap and water then my normal cleaning solution followed by a rinse and a vacuum.
No evidence of any adhesive or Goo Gone on the surface.
Looks like your records are already ruined, any attempt to clean them is worth the effort, IMO.
And don't discount leather mats.
I'm using one and it was cheap and easy to make.
Some rubbers and plastics react badly with one another. If you find a turntable whose dustcover has a pair of parallel grooves embedded in the top, it's likely because the turntable's power cord was wrapped around it for a long period of time. Not sure how long it takes, but it does happen.
I've been relatively lucky with the rubber mats on my turntables thus far, but I do my best to refrain from leaving a record on the platter for too long. Granted, I do slip up from time to time; a noisy reissue of Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express has been sitting on the platter of my Denon DP-33F for a few months. Granted, I only use said LP for test purposes, but still..........
-Adam
I've been relatively lucky with the rubber mats on my turntables thus far, but I do my best to refrain from leaving a record on the platter for too long. Granted, I do slip up from time to time; a noisy reissue of Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express has been sitting on the platter of my Denon DP-33F for a few months. Granted, I only use said LP for test purposes, but still..........
-Adam
Oh, I'll Just Listen To Digital Versions Of The Damaged LPs...Very Non-Fair Comparision....
With my new Yamaha remote and CX-830, for the first time in my life I can rapidly flip between two sources from my listening chair. So, I'm listening to U.K. Danger Money (Digital Re-master) on both You-tube (via DAC) and the non-damaged side of the 1980s LP (Original Master) and it is like listening to two totally different things. Much more dynamic range on the LP; just sounds overall better.
Out of curiosity I did a frequency spectrum analysis of the You-tube MP3 conversion and got the following. Since the full frequency spectrum seems to be there, I'm calling it an un-fair comparison due to the "Digital Re-Master" messing up the original version.
Without getting into a LP vs Digital war, I can state that it is worthwhile, in terms of my listening pleasure, to keep these damaged LPs because there is still a lot of good sounding music on them and finding good sounding digital replacements might be difficult.
U.K. Danger Money MP3 from You-Tube:
With my new Yamaha remote and CX-830, for the first time in my life I can rapidly flip between two sources from my listening chair. So, I'm listening to U.K. Danger Money (Digital Re-master) on both You-tube (via DAC) and the non-damaged side of the 1980s LP (Original Master) and it is like listening to two totally different things. Much more dynamic range on the LP; just sounds overall better.
Out of curiosity I did a frequency spectrum analysis of the You-tube MP3 conversion and got the following. Since the full frequency spectrum seems to be there, I'm calling it an un-fair comparison due to the "Digital Re-Master" messing up the original version.
Without getting into a LP vs Digital war, I can state that it is worthwhile, in terms of my listening pleasure, to keep these damaged LPs because there is still a lot of good sounding music on them and finding good sounding digital replacements might be difficult.
U.K. Danger Money MP3 from You-Tube:
Mister Pig
Pigamus Maximus
Sorry to hear of your misfortune. Losing a large chunk of vinyl is a costly hit, no way around that. I guess I have to ask, how many albums were damaged? If the outer tracks are gone, or one side, to me the record would be ruined as I would have no use for it. I hope you did not loose too many. I imagine you are going to replace the mat, and monitor the condition of your table, stylus, and record cleaning regimen a little closer. Once again, sorry to hear of your story, I hope you can replace your records without too much difficulty.
Cheers
Mister Pig
Cheers
Mister Pig
Yeah I have to agree with the Pig. Seeing your photos, I don't think your going to be able to do anything with them as it is not a matter of cleaning them because it is not a foreign material that is your problem now, it seems by the pics that the vinyl itself has been compromised
I wouldn't want them in my collection, no room for extra vinyl that has problems, space is worth more than then half good vinyl. You could donate them, and use the tax right off.
Sorry for your lose.
I wouldn't want them in my collection, no room for extra vinyl that has problems, space is worth more than then half good vinyl. You could donate them, and use the tax right off.
Sorry for your lose.
50 LPs out of about 150. Those were sorted based on just the slightest evidence of visual damage.
I'm just now going through and playing them and finding the damage sometimes just makes that characteristic 'old record' crackling on the soft parts. Not too bad. Some, however, are actually unplayable, but have not found any that have damage on both sides.
I went a while with no turntable and in the 1990s I bought the CDs of most of my favorites. So, I'm playing Genesis, Selling England By the Pound. Damage on one side only, but I already have the CD...so might as well A/B them...Can't really tell them apart (that is CD vs LP playing at the same time rapidly switching between them with the CX-830 remote)
I'm just now going through and playing them and finding the damage sometimes just makes that characteristic 'old record' crackling on the soft parts. Not too bad. Some, however, are actually unplayable, but have not found any that have damage on both sides.
I went a while with no turntable and in the 1990s I bought the CDs of most of my favorites. So, I'm playing Genesis, Selling England By the Pound. Damage on one side only, but I already have the CD...so might as well A/B them...Can't really tell them apart (that is CD vs LP playing at the same time rapidly switching between them with the CX-830 remote)
Grenadeslio
Lunatic Member
Said as much 33 posts ago.
Mister Pig
Pigamus Maximus
That you agree with pigs? That splendid my friend! I am so glad to hear that. The world would be a better place if everyone agreed with pigs.
Cheers
Mister Pig
BAD idea to use that stuff. Early on, I had a very mint MCS direct drive turntable, nothing special, but it looked brand new, and was adequate. Thought I'd up the quality by putting that stuff on the plinth, and place lead weights and other heavy things (coins) all around in an attempt to add mass and deaden it.
Thing is, it worked!
Fast forward a couple years later when I had graduated to better gear, and I go to sell it. I lift the tool box liner stuff up, and there goes all the pretty lettering that had previously been unmarred.
It also ate into the varnish on one of my set of speakers, I forget which.
Ain't messing with that stuff no more, except in my tool box, lol.
Grenadeslio
Lunatic Member
That you agree with pigs? That splendid my friend! I am so glad to hear that. The world would be a better place if everyone agreed with pigs.
Cheers
Mister Pig
Well technically the pig agreed with me, and it was good lol.
Ichi
New Member
What kind of double-sided tape did you use to secure the mat to the platter?
sKiZo
Hates received: 92644 43.20°N 85.50°W
All righty then ... good point that will allow me to keep my OEM mat instead of "upgrading" ...
Be difficult anyway - I doubt there's any aftermarket mats with prisms built in anyways ... and those are handy if you're a fan of auto return like me.
PS - wouldn't be surprised if a lot of mat failures can be traced to chemical cleaners that destabilize the plastics that are sometimes erroneously referred to as rubber. That's what happened to a couple styli here, where the cantilever mount turned to goo.
Instead of tape, I'd cut down one of those sticky carpet pads that are used to keep runners in place. Stuff's pretty thin, but you still might want to recheck your cartridge settings after. Nice part is, it should grip the new mat decent, and no residue with easy removal later on.
Be difficult anyway - I doubt there's any aftermarket mats with prisms built in anyways ... and those are handy if you're a fan of auto return like me.
PS - wouldn't be surprised if a lot of mat failures can be traced to chemical cleaners that destabilize the plastics that are sometimes erroneously referred to as rubber. That's what happened to a couple styli here, where the cantilever mount turned to goo.
Instead of tape, I'd cut down one of those sticky carpet pads that are used to keep runners in place. Stuff's pretty thin, but you still might want to recheck your cartridge settings after. Nice part is, it should grip the new mat decent, and no residue with easy removal later on.
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ripblade
Super Member
Mine already came with the adhesive...just peel and stick. It was a mat I bought for the Oracle, which is still offered as an upgrade for older tables. I figure similar can be had for much less following the same design principles.
If you don't bond the mat to the platter, you're just listening to another piece of plastic. Might as well use another record and save a few bucks since the only benefit of acrylic is it comes in many colours in common thicknesses.
The tape should be not too thick, but coverage needs to be nearly 100% from edge to spindle, leaving vent pathways to prevent air bubbles.
Wow, you guys are scaring me.
Now I'm glad that I'm using deerhide on my XA. Technics and Dual TTs have factory rubber mats.
I will from here on out be more cognizant of putting the LPs away after I play them.
Fortunately (?) I have neighbors close enough that the curtains are almost always drawn.
Now I'm glad that I'm using deerhide on my XA. Technics and Dual TTs have factory rubber mats.
I will from here on out be more cognizant of putting the LPs away after I play them.
Fortunately (?) I have neighbors close enough that the curtains are almost always drawn.
