CHEAP turntable mat
- Thread starter Garrard201
- Start date
MuthaFunk
Vinyl Addict
What a great thread!! I'm going to give them a try! Cork and the vinyl. Although....My wife sometimes leaves the record on the table over-night... I'll give the mat a good wash down first and use a very scratched piece of vinyl overnight to test it out before I trust it with my good records.
Thanks for the great tips!:thmbsp:
Thanks for the great tips!:thmbsp:
Mark W.
Nut house of the Universe
Can one of you guys with an IKEA mat measure the thickness of it for me. if you have a pair of calipers that would be best as I would like to know how it's thickness compares to the Felt mat I'm using now.
Having just set up my new cart and finding the setup to be very very good I don't want to mess with the VTA if I don't have to.
And since our local IKEA ia an hour away before I take the trip I'd like an idea of it's effects.
Also for those that have cut the mat where does the ridges end up in relation to the edge of the platter or record? Dose it end with a ridge or in the middle of one?
Having just set up my new cart and finding the setup to be very very good I don't want to mess with the VTA if I don't have to.
And since our local IKEA ia an hour away before I take the trip I'd like an idea of it's effects.
Also for those that have cut the mat where does the ridges end up in relation to the edge of the platter or record? Dose it end with a ridge or in the middle of one?
I recently tried the cork VPI 16.5 rcm replacement mat on top of my standard Thorens mat. The VPI cork mat was so surprisingly thin. I thought it would be much thicker. About all I can really hear is the change in the VTA/SRA from "raising' the platter, thus raising the headshell/stylus and in effect lowering the rear. Not really what I wanted. Maybe I should put the cork inside the platter. Still pretty thin to hope for any noticiable dampening effect.
Mark W.
Nut house of the Universe
I know it would be much better if the same mat was prepackaged as an audiophile upgrade and cost $200.00 with some fancy name and a couple paragraphs of goobdly goop audiospeak selling it.
The fact of the matter is not what this piece of material is being sold as but what the material performs like when used in our application.
I spent 14 years as a custom knifemaker and people were always asking me what the best honing oil to use when sharpening a knife was.
Well by law any product labeled as Honing oil can be ONLY one thing Pure 100% mineral oil (no risk of food contamination) Now a 4 oz can of Norton or Buck or what ever name brand honing oil cost around $10.00. Yet 16oz of Johnsons Baby oil which is 99.9% Pure Mineral oil with a couple drops of eatable fragrance in each bottle.
Now any number of people couldn't imagine using Baby oil as the honing oil to sharpen the 200-300.00 knife they had bought from me. BUT take away the product name and it's the same thing.
OPEN your mind not your wallet.
brucered
Well-Known Member
i picked up a KAB super mat, 1/4" thick rubber for 20bucks. made for TT's, no residue, center hold already cut. can't go wrong. it's nice and heavy too:
"Usually the super thick mat is the one to have because it gives sufficient height to set VTA on a variety of cartridges. It also weighs 17 oz which helps top side damping of the platter.
They look just like the mat in the picture with the spindle above. No logos on top. The bottom is all flat with an inset technics logo. The mat can be used on either side for LP's. It does sound different on each side."
"Usually the super thick mat is the one to have because it gives sufficient height to set VTA on a variety of cartridges. It also weighs 17 oz which helps top side damping of the platter.
They look just like the mat in the picture with the spindle above. No logos on top. The bottom is all flat with an inset technics logo. The mat can be used on either side for LP's. It does sound different on each side."
Argyle
abstract thinker
I went to IKEA today and grabbed 2 PANNÅ placemats, and a pack of 6 DUGA placemats (total $9. and change) to cut out my own mat for a harman/kardon T40 that i picked up over the weekend. Since the original mat is rigid and warped (and the fact that i broke it didn't help either), I used the original mat as a template and cut three new mats. One red PANNÅ, one black PANNÅ and one of the cork DUGA mats. All of which came out pretty good. I don't know yet how it will/won't affect sound, but it's an inexpensive solution that looks good. i like the look of the cork best.
can anyone else report on their experience with using one of these placemats on their turntable?
can anyone else report on their experience with using one of these placemats on their turntable?
Right on !!
Yup, there are all sorts of bargain pieces that work fine for a job. It's the finding and figuring out that is part of the fun. I mean Ford fanatics must get apoplexy every time the see a '32 Deuce Coupe with a Chevy small block, but that's the way the world goes :thmbsp:
Yup, there are all sorts of bargain pieces that work fine for a job. It's the finding and figuring out that is part of the fun. I mean Ford fanatics must get apoplexy every time the see a '32 Deuce Coupe with a Chevy small block, but that's the way the world goes :thmbsp:
Argyle
abstract thinker
I couldn't agree with that more - for me, it applies to every aspect of the hobby. :thmbsp:
Balifly
Listening
There some very nice felt mat on some of the higher end turntables.
The one that caught my attention is this one.
It is relatively inexpensive, suitable for my AR-XA which does not have a mat at all.
http://www.sleevetown.com/turntable-mat.shtml
The one that caught my attention is this one.
It is relatively inexpensive, suitable for my AR-XA which does not have a mat at all.
http://www.sleevetown.com/turntable-mat.shtml
Pio1980
AK Member
My observations about stock platter mats FWIW;
Many mfgrs, esp the Japanese, are very canny and deliberate with them. The stock mats on most of these T-Ts do a very effective job of damping platter resonances thru careful mass design and lossy coupling to the platter, something the aftermarket mats generally fail to do. They also provide good disk mass "grounding' and damping. Changing mats will certainly change the sound but it's a trade-off and usually to the detriment of the total ensemble. My universal general advice is to stay with the stocker unless you know for sure what you are trading off, experimentation notwithstanding.
Many mfgrs, esp the Japanese, are very canny and deliberate with them. The stock mats on most of these T-Ts do a very effective job of damping platter resonances thru careful mass design and lossy coupling to the platter, something the aftermarket mats generally fail to do. They also provide good disk mass "grounding' and damping. Changing mats will certainly change the sound but it's a trade-off and usually to the detriment of the total ensemble. My universal general advice is to stay with the stocker unless you know for sure what you are trading off, experimentation notwithstanding.
Wobbly mat
I've recently brought a Technics SL-Q312 TT out of storage and almost got TT sickness watching the platter go round and round and up and down..and up..down...and up and down...had to look away quickly. Anyway, the mat is not very flat, with noticeable gap changes between the edges of the mat and platter. All the ideas for inexpensive replacements are appreciated.
I've recently brought a Technics SL-Q312 TT out of storage and almost got TT sickness watching the platter go round and round and up and down..and up..down...and up and down...had to look away quickly. Anyway, the mat is not very flat, with noticeable gap changes between the edges of the mat and platter. All the ideas for inexpensive replacements are appreciated.
I'm right there with manderson. There's no way to tell what chemicals are continuing to surface on these placemats as they cure. What an awful idea, with all due respect. Casey Ng has done all the experiments one could do on his None Felt mat, and they all indicated that there's no way around vinyl-to-mat contact being a BAD thing, so he offered a couple of solutions: The Skin, which is discontinued, basically a cloth netting that simply lifted the vinyl from direct contact with the mat, and The Speed, which is a carbon-fiber mat as thick as cardboard paper. The combo is so potent that Casey has now discontinued all newly available versions of his mat products except the combo of None Felt + Speed (though you can get a Speed separately as an upgrade to your None Felt if you like).
The Speed is $99 while the None Felt/Speed combo is $119. After having owned everything from RingMat (the full-on version with all the shims), Boston Audio Design (worst "mat" ever), AudioQuest Sorbothane (too dead, dampens all the life out of the music), and others, ALL my modern-ish tt's have None Felt/Speed combo. The Speed is one of the most amazing sounding tweaks I've ever found. And it doesn't ooze god-knows-what all over the bottom of the record I'm playing.
thunderroad
Life begins at 140 mph.
Yup! There's a reason for everything! Chevy engines are shorter than Fords, so you don't need to cut up the firewall near as bad to shoehorn 'em in. Plus, they'll go like Hell too, if you build 'em right!
DIY Mats and more
Found this from an older thread for some do-it-yourself mats:
http://www.theanalogdept.com/diy.htm
....and another inexpensive Mat:
From Yoder365 on ebay: The Sonic Bliss Record mat....might be worth a look. Currently, $14.95-16.95 plus $3 shipping. Here's the description:
Hello, what we have here is a must have! upgrade for your turntable. sonic improvement is amazing! acoustically dead foam rubber with anti-slip and antistatic properties.this mat drives the stylus in the groove very well and dissipates unwanted resonances from the platter record,stylus and tonearm.and lets the true natural analog dynamics of vinyl shine!available in 3.18mm thick in 11.0" 11.25", 11.5''DIA and 11.75DIA,available in 11"DIA for music hall,Dual,Project and others with 11" platter.
i also have custom sizes available for pioneer pl-560,540,520,518,516,514,512 Also available for thorens turntables in 11.5" with center cut out for the 45 adapter or 8mm spindle hole your choice! please include the size of mat you need with paypal payment.
mats fit most t-t's, great upgrade for glass,acrylic,mdf, or heavy diecast platters,over a felt,cork, carbon fiber,or a rubber mat! also these mats are washable.soak in a few inches of warm water with a few drops of dish soap, rinse and ring out and air dry!!
Smooth extended highs and clear midrange with tight accurate bass response and weight with a deeper sound stage and improved imaging are instantly felt and heard with this mat.
I designed and tested this mat with many types of this material and this material does all aspects of its intended use correctly! and i use this mat on t-t's from my personal collection. and there was a great sonic improvement with all of them! with or without a record clamp.and i have found no mat at any price i like better this mats performance for the dollar is unmatched!
the mat was designed for the true audiophile and by an audiophile and is sold at a realistic price this is the best performing mats for the$ bar none!!
Found this from an older thread for some do-it-yourself mats:
http://www.theanalogdept.com/diy.htm
....and another inexpensive Mat:
From Yoder365 on ebay: The Sonic Bliss Record mat....might be worth a look. Currently, $14.95-16.95 plus $3 shipping. Here's the description:
Hello, what we have here is a must have! upgrade for your turntable. sonic improvement is amazing! acoustically dead foam rubber with anti-slip and antistatic properties.this mat drives the stylus in the groove very well and dissipates unwanted resonances from the platter record,stylus and tonearm.and lets the true natural analog dynamics of vinyl shine!available in 3.18mm thick in 11.0" 11.25", 11.5''DIA and 11.75DIA,available in 11"DIA for music hall,Dual,Project and others with 11" platter.
i also have custom sizes available for pioneer pl-560,540,520,518,516,514,512 Also available for thorens turntables in 11.5" with center cut out for the 45 adapter or 8mm spindle hole your choice! please include the size of mat you need with paypal payment.
mats fit most t-t's, great upgrade for glass,acrylic,mdf, or heavy diecast platters,over a felt,cork, carbon fiber,or a rubber mat! also these mats are washable.soak in a few inches of warm water with a few drops of dish soap, rinse and ring out and air dry!!
Smooth extended highs and clear midrange with tight accurate bass response and weight with a deeper sound stage and improved imaging are instantly felt and heard with this mat.
I designed and tested this mat with many types of this material and this material does all aspects of its intended use correctly! and i use this mat on t-t's from my personal collection. and there was a great sonic improvement with all of them! with or without a record clamp.and i have found no mat at any price i like better this mats performance for the dollar is unmatched!
the mat was designed for the true audiophile and by an audiophile and is sold at a realistic price this is the best performing mats for the$ bar none!!