Best turntable mats.

[charles 1973]

I never considered replacing the stock rubber mat on my vintage Pioneer turntable with its aluminum platter until i realized the old rubber mat was hard and cracked. I really wasn't expecting the new cork/rubber mat to sound different. But was pleasantly surprised to find the high frequencies where smoother with less ringing, which improves the overall sound.

When I bought my new Rega Planar 2 turntable recently I tried the rubber/cork mat on its glass platter instead of the thin wool mat it came with. After switching between the two a few times, it seems the cork/rubber mat makes my records sound flat, boring. Took away some high frequencies. Back to the thin wool mat and all is well.

The cork mat is probably 1.5mm higher then the wool mat, so that might make a difference too. Still the arm looks very close to parallel to the record and the Conical stylus is more forgiving with vta I believe.

 

[Audiofreak71]

I never considered replacing the stock rubber mat on my vintage Pioneer turntable with its aluminum platter until i realized the old rubber mat was hard and cracked. I really wasn't expecting the new cork/rubber mat to sound different. But was pleasantly surprised to find the high frequencies where smoother with less ringing, which improves the overall sound.

When I bought my new Rega Planar 2 turntable recently I tried the rubber/cork mat on its glass platter instead of the thin wool mat it came with. After switching between the two a few times, it seems the cork/rubber mat makes my records sound flat, boring. Took away some high frequencies. Back to the thin wool mat and all is well.

The cork mat is probably 1.5mm higher then the wool mat, so that might make a difference too. Still the arm looks very close to parallel to the record and the Conical stylus is more forgiving with vta I believe.

It might be interesting to try a thicker real (natural) wool mat instead of the thin synthetic stock one.

Or try it straight on the glass platter , you may be surprised. You could also try acrylic, it might work well with that type platter.


Audiofreak71

 

[Bob C]

I've tried a bunch. Minimal difference in any of them. I've wound up using felt which is cheap and works as well as any other. Mats are really little more than another weird phono side hole to spend/waste time and energy. I go through periods during which pursuit of minutiae can be appealing but am aware that they are a waste of time and money.

I bought an acrylic mat. Which do you think may be better a rubber mat that came with the Technics SL-1550C or the acrylic one I bought?

 

[Sgt Shultz]

I have "a few" tables, the OEM mat on my Kenwood KD-500 was pristine but became damaged and an original wasn't available.

I found an OEM mat for the Kenwood KD-770D and as I already had that table also I was able to confirm it would work.

So while waiting for the new mat to arrive I tried the one off my KD-770D, OH MAN what an improvement in every aspect. Shouldn't have surprised me really, the mat even looks superior. The KD-500 OEM mat has raised areas where the KD-770D mat is just super flat.

Great tweak for the KD-500/550 and 600/650 Kennys I highly recommend.

 

[just dave]

I used to have lots of ticks and pops from static electricity. I switched to a leather mat a couple of years ago and it took care of the problem of me.
View attachment 2821811

Yep, I've got a suede mat and no static.

 

[Sgt Shultz]

More importantly: What do you hear and feel is better?

I think I stated "in every aspect"

 

[kyle]

I wonder what would I get by adding such a thing? My new (to me) Yamaha PF-800 table has a kind of non slip thing that's built into the platter, though I suppose that I could put something else on top of that and as long as I raised the tone arm height a bit to compensate (I can do that with this table) that it would work... I've been thinking more about getting one of those clamps. I notice that I have lots of records with slight warps on them and though this table seems to do a great job of tracking them, there's something that kind of bugs me about that and a clamp might flatten those out. I worry though that with a bit of additional weight that I'd be putting more strain on the thing so that even if the motor is OK, it might stretch the belt, which doesn't seem to be on there with too much tension, and prematurely wear that out...?

Clamps work best on flat records. Often the record will dish or the warps will be accentuated by either using too much pressure when tightening a clamp or using a heavy weight type of clamp. The only thing that actually works to flatten warped records is a peripheral ring weight that fits over the edge of the record. That's way too much hassle for me and I would be worried about my clumsiness landing the ring onto the playing surface. You invest some major cash in a record flattener. They are a heated press that apparently will flatten warped records. Too much hassle again. Records are enough work as is without agonizing over small warps.

 

[nailer]

I bought an acrylic mat. Which do you think may be better a rubber mat that came with the Technics SL-1550C or the acrylic one I bought?

More importantly: What do you hear and feel is better?

 

[nailer]

I think I stated "in every aspect"

Responded to wrong post. Another senior moment.

 

[Sgt Shultz]

Clamps work best on flat records. Often the record will dish or the warps will be accentuated by either using too much pressure when tightening a clamp or using a heavy weight type of clamp. The only thing that actually works to flatten warped records is a peripheral ring weight that fits over the edge of the record. That's way too much hassle for me and I would be worried about my clumsiness landing the ring onto the playing surface. You invest some major cash in a record flattener. They are a heated press that apparently will flatten warped records. Too much hassle again. Records are enough work as is without agonizing over small warps.

Actually.........the platter on the Well Tempered Lab Turntable and vacuum hold down systems will also work on warped records and better than a peripheral ring weight, plus improve SQ.

 

[twiiii]

I depends on the type and design of the TT. Maybe the rubber mat results in to much damping of the sound of the record while reducing the mechanically resonant noises, where with the plexiglass mat might allow for faster clear cleaner sound. But then it might also allow low frequencies and rumbles and resonances to become apparent. So what is good for one turntable may not be good for another.

I seem to notice more groove noise with my cork mat than with the original rubber mat on the Thorens TD 125 I have. My Mark Levinson/VPI turntable uses a felt pad and again a rubber mat sort of softens the sound. But it does soften mechanical noises from reaching the cartridge a bit, as most of the transmission comes thru the arm. So I put a heavy slab of marble under the table to further dampen and/or suppress resonant noises from the the cabinet the TT is mounted on while returning to the felt mat. My platter is damped on the underside of the Levinson/VPI TT. Where Thorens platter is not therefore requiring the Rubber mat. Fortunately the heavy non resonant platform the arm and platter are mounted to is suspended and isolated from any external vibrations with the Thorens 125. Even the motor is isolated and only connected to The Platter by flat precision belt. And, Yes, the belt has a break in period. Less than 100 hours but certainly more than 50 this time. So I guess the answer is what ever floats your boat or suits your fancy.

There are ways to measure and determine the difference between TT mats, but no one seems to make the effort to do so accurately and report the results lately. I sort of recall some one doing it back in the 70's or 80, but thats along time ago. Then again I might be totally wrong on the time period. Michael Fremer's Tracking Angle might be some where to start on the matter.

 

[bradyzq]

I think I will try Kelvin of Stereo Review X's suggestion of a few sheets of newspaper cut to size before I go out and buy something.

 

[kyle]

Actually.........the platter on the Well Tempered Lab Turntable and vacuum hold down systems will also work on warped records and better than a peripheral ring weight, plus improve SQ.

A vacuum system isn't really an add on type of arrangement for someone with an existing table. RunOutGroove was talking about getting a clamp for his table.

 

[RunOutGroove]

Clamps work best on flat records. Often the record will dish or the warps will be accentuated by either using too much pressure when tightening a clamp or using a heavy weight type of clamp. The only thing that actually works to flatten warped records is a peripheral ring weight that fits over the edge of the record. That's way too much hassle for me and I would be worried about my clumsiness landing the ring onto the playing surface. You invest some major cash in a record flattener. They are a heated press that apparently will flatten warped records. Too much hassle again. Records are enough work as is without agonizing over small warps.

Yeah, you're probably right. I do have few records that are too warped to play that I'd love to try to flatten, but not quite enough to buy some expensive record flatterer. I know that there's a DIY way of doing it with plate glass and an oven, which I keep telling myself I might have to try as I have nothing to loose with these warped records that I have... and a few of them are really good titles that I'd love to be able to play.

 

[Sgt Shultz]

A vacuum system isn't really an add on type of arrangement for someone with an existing table. RunOutGroove was talking about getting a clamp for his table.

Nothing like an excuse to get a new table

 

[nailer]

Yeah, you're probably right. I do have few records that are too warped to play that I'd love to try to flatten, but not quite enough to buy some expensive record flatterer. I know that there's a DIY way of doing it with plate glass and an oven, which I keep telling myself I might have to try as I have nothing to loose with these warped records that I have... and a few of them are really good titles that I'd love to be able to play.

Two plates of glass with LP being the sandwich's meat at a low temperature for a few minutes. Who's tried this?

 

[Legrace]

The best mat I have ever encountered is in pic below. 5mm thick moulded rubber, 70's vintage. Don't make them like that anymore.

 

[kyle]

Two plates of glass with LP being the sandwich's meat at a low temperature for a few minutes. Who's tried this?

Maybe I'm not typical but I don't really have a lot of warped records. If they have a slight warp, rotate them in the sleeve and flip them over. Put the record back in the shelf for a couple of weeks and most of the warp is gone.
I've also found that my US cleaner at 28 degrees C for 10 minutes will straighten most mild warps without doing anything else.

 

[Sgt Shultz]

Maybe I'm not typical but I don't really have a lot of warped records. If they have a slight warp, rotate them in the sleeve and flip them over. Put the record back in the shelf for a couple of weeks and most of the warp is gone.
I've also found that my US cleaner at 28 degrees C for 10 minutes will straighten most mild warps without doing anything else.

Ya, same here, maybe 3/1000

 

[jimreeves]

Personally, I use the stock heavy rubber mats on my JVC's and Kenwood/Trio with heavy aluminum platters, but use the Marc Morin pigskin suede/graphite sandwich mat on my AR-XA. Something about his mat works best on the suspended table that makes no discernible difference on the direct drives. Marc knew what worked on AR's. I had a Project RPM-9 for a short time and ever since assume that acrylic platters work best without a mat. The felt mat was terrible to my ears.
Seems logical to my pea brain that an acoustically dead material like acrylic would work best naked, while aluminum would need something to deaden ringing. HDPE might make a fine platter material, although I've never seen it used.