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Turntable mats - Is it a Ginger vs Mary Ann thing?

olddude55 said:
I've never heard a difference in platter mats that wasn't related to a change in VTA. I've even used old LPs as platter mats.
But my preference is neither Ginger, nor Mary Ann, nor Barbara Eden, nor Elizabeth Montgomery.
No my friends, I give you the great Emma Peel.
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My search for the perfect woman ended at a very young age upon seeing Diana Rigg for the first time. Been spending the rest of my life looking for waiting for her equal.
 
Grommit said:
The sparkly bits are eye catching
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Yeah, sparkly bits. LOL ! I would agree with the mats being t.t. dependent. I have a go to diy mat made of cork on one side and rubbery on the other that usually sounds good on just about anything, but not all.
 
If your turntable came with a thick rubber mat, there's probably a reason for it..to damp the metal platter. I see a lot of aftermarket mats out there that are basically overpriced scams or fashion accessories for those that want to bling out their TT.
 
My Empire 598 MKII and Pioneer PL-71 have mats, but actually suspend the record in air (sort of) as they are held only by the rim and label perimeters.

There are several thoughts that I have on the topic, but an understanding of what is going on is in order. Mats have several functions. First is to protect the delicate grooves that rest against it on the bottom side. Secondly, to isolate the platter and its rumble from the record itself (and the cartridge from picking it up) and to eliminate vibration reflections from the record surface and the rest of the table.

My favorite mat is actually a mat "sandwich" made from 3 mats. I have this set-up on my Technics SL1200MKII (2007) and SL1210MK5 (2010). Both have their original thick mats laying on top of the platter, then both have 2 layers of open cell EPDM sponge gasket material. .09" thick. The heavy mat kills most rumble, motor noise, the other 2 layers isolate further the transmission to the cartridge and tonearm. The results are a very black background.
 
sinnerboy said:
I have three turntable mats, an Acrylic piece from Hudson HiFi, a leather mat and the standard rubber mat that came with my Technics SL-1300. Are preferences just that? Or, do some turntables respond better to acrylic or leather as opposed to rubber? Just curious as to the collective perspective.
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Do you hear a difference in those two mats.
 
Andre Garcia said:
Mats absorb vibration (sound) or repel it.
All the vibration absorbed is a vibration that the cart miss and vise versa.
You want the maximum noise isolation from motors and any other noise source, but at the same time you dont want to absorb what is been reproduce in your LP. So mats are important. IMO leather and cork are the best I tested on my TT. I played some record on my acrylic platter without anything, some jazz sound beautiful other too sibilant. Our work window is very narrow better keep tight tolerances.
AG.
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That may or may not be true. Many machines make noise but a noisy motorcycle does not lose energy for driving because of the noise. Any sound that may go into a mat does not mean the cartridge is losing something. No mater what you do the cartridge rubs the grooves and some of that will go into the mat. Stopping it may not be the best idea.
 
Thunderbox said:
Do you hear a difference in those two mats.
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This thread has been revived from long ago. At the time, I had an SL-1300 and liked the acrylic mat the best, it sounded a bit more open. I then moved to a Denon DP-47f in which I used the original rubber mat only. Now I'm putting together a Denon DP-6000 and will likely try the various mats again. Just thinking about how it will be installed (in a compartment of a vintage console) I'm thinking the leather might provide better results, but we will see.
 
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