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Does a tt mat really make a difference in sound ?

C

conaway

Active Member
I recently replaced the thick rubber mat that came on my AR XA tt with a thinner carbon fiber and felt mat. I made the change to try an eliminate static build-up won LPs while playing them.

While listening to several LPs last night, I noticed that the sound from both channels sounded more balanced in volume and seemed to be clearer. Hard to describe, but there was clearly an audible difference. I'm very surprised by this and wonder if its just my imagination....I'd appreciate any insights others may have gained from changing tt mats.
 
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The material the mat's made of may have an effect, but don't overlook the possibility that the change in thickness may have changed your cart's vertical tracking angle for the better.
 
conaway said:
I recently replaced the thick rubber mat that came on my AR XA tt with a thinner carbon fiber and felt mat. I made the change to try an eliminate static build-up won LPs while playing them.

While listening to several LPs last night, I noticed that the sound from both channels sounded more balanced in volume and seemed to be clearer. Hard to describe, but there was clearly an audible difference. I'm very surprised by this and wonder if its just my imagination....I'd appreciate any insights others may have gained from changing tt mats.
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People spend a lot of money on mats precisely because they sound different. Though it's important to keep the vertical tracking angle (VTA) the same when trying different mats, because changing that also changes the sound. So a thinner mat, without VTA adjustment to compensate, will make some difference, though perhaps not nearly as much as the new mat does.
 
+1 a change in VTA is going to be more significant than a change in mat material, much more in most cases. Changing VTA also changes your tracking force until you re-set it.
 
TT mats make a difference & nearly all combinations I've tried sound different, some more surprising than others

real comparison comes with setting the same vta/ sra

Certainly worth experimenting & one of the cheapest tricks if diy'd
 
Please correct me if i'm wrong but the AR rubber mat is fairly thick(much like the Thorens, etc OEM mats) and the carbon fibre mats are much thinner. Effectively, what you have done is changed the vta from, lets say, fairly level to possibly tonearm "tail up". Generally, tail up (or more tail up) will increase high freq or overall brightness. Tail down will make the sound warmer. Extremes in either direction will sound bad.
 
I guess I need to look at the vta. the cartridge is a shure m97xe - I simply mounted it in the AR headshell with no shims. I need to read up on adjusting the vta - hadn't really paid much attention to it. thanks - I'm learning !
 
Although I've never tried it, I would think the M97XE could actually benefit from riding a little bit high. It's not known for prolific treble, so maybe the more-forward stylus rake angle is a good thing.
 
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My Music Hall MMF5 came with a felt mat. I replaced it with an Extreme Phono mat that didn't sound much different and left a residue on the records. Then I bought a Ringmat. When I opened it and saw that I had just paid $90 for a piece of construction paper with cork rings on it, I felt like an idiot. Then I put it on the table and played a record. WOW. I couldn't believe the difference. The table had been set up for the Extreme Phono mat which was the same thickness as the new Ringmat. I still laugh when I look at it. I couldn't imagine not having it.
 
Also, from what I've heard, it makes a difference what material your platter is made from. Apparently you don't notice as much of a difference in mats with an acrylic platter. My MMF5 has a glass platter.
 
Future Man said:
Also, from what I've heard, it makes a difference what material your platter is made from. Apparently you don't notice as much of a difference in mats with an acrylic platter. My MMF5 has a glass platter.
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You might try an acrylic mat, too.
 
^ Omg that Ringmat was $90?? For $2 worth material?
then there is ebay: shelf liner mat for $20, cork mat for $35!
 
Everything makes a difference. The secret is finding the best of all items, that will all work together, to give you that great sound. Everything makes a difference.

Don't know much about mats. My Sansui SR-838 comes with a mat where once the LP is on the mat...the LP or the mat is not sliding anywhere. It's like 'locked in', pure magic. Maybe keep your eyes out for one on eBay. SR-838 or the SR-929 mat. Great Mats. They come up for sale every once and awhile.
 
I've experimented with different thickness of mats and depending on the table it can make quite a noticeable difference that one table that I thought sounded really treble focused is now more balanced.
 
I've mentioned this before but I currently use a sandwich of

Rubber mat
on a flat vinyl LP
on a thin rubbermat
on an aluminium platter

Its the best combination I've had so far - but depends if you have enough height on the spindle to accomodate
 
I found that a cork mat did help a bit, but for me the really dramatic difference came with the table weight. I never would have believed it if I hadn't done it myself.
 
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