|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
121.209.109.55
I strolled into addictedtoaudio and purchased the 3mm mat.I believe they are now only making the 5mm version.Choice of colours I selected blue.
The sound of silence-dramatic reduction of surface noise on my Clearaudio concept.On lps with no breaks between music it sounded like the phonostage volume was set to zero.
Bass-much improved punch notes started and stopped quickly-no overhang or fuzziness.
Midrange-sparkling clarity but cloying warmth removed,some listeners may well prefer to hear their original decks gentle sound.
Highs-lovely,very good,cymbals have improved bite and decay,much more natural sounding.
Conclusion-this mat places great demands on the rest of your system chain.If your system is already too bright you may not like the end result.
For me the reduction in surface noise makes this mat essential for me,warmly recommended.The added clarity(i may suggest like the original master)is a massive improvement if your system can handle it.
Follow Ups:
I have 2 of the FFA`s on one of my Technics an on my Opus 3 Continuo. Yes they Work and very well as describes by Darryl.
Rgds Jan
nt
.
Herbie's Way Excellent mat (which I use) has the benefit of being offered in a wide range of thicknesses.
Happy listening,
Jim
"The passage of my life is measured out in shirts."
- Brian Eno
I have one on my Technics 1200. Definite improvement over the thick rubber mat.
My Thorens mat is about 5mm, so if I replace it with the Achromat, I shouldn't have to dick around with the VTA.
I no longer use the stock mat. The Achromat needs to be coupled directly to the platter to work properly. (So says the company anyway.) It comes with some double sided tape circles to tack it down.
My only complaint is that is a bit too smooth. Sometimes when I put a brush on a record, the record will slide.
The problem with double-sided tape is that it has thickness and will leave airgaps around the site of each pad so it's not really "coupling" in the absolute sense.
Some folk use Vaseline over the entire area which gives more uniform adhesion but even that is a compromise as it will have some absorbancy. The good news is that Vaseline can be cleaned off whereas you'd need to be committed to use a glue coating over your entire platter.
All of these things will vary the sound. A safer option might be to avoid glue/tape altogether and use a record clamp to reduce any air pockets under the mat thereby increasing coupling.Despite all this I am not an Achromat fan. I still own one of the 5mm ones and dumped it into storage after initial comparison. (When it comes to mats they can be Damped, Semi-Damped or Undamped. The Achromat falls into the "Damped" category. I prefer undamped arrangements.)
I'm slightly troubled by the OP's comments regarding brightness. I don't recall any particular brightness issues switching from one mat to another whilst ensuring that VTA was very precisely fine-tuned for each. I suspect an "excessive brightness attribute" is something of a red-herring.
I do agree that it has a low noise floor and a very smooth presentation but other mats can get close to it in that respect.
Edits: 01/07/17
The tape is very thin so I can't imagine that there would be much in the way of air gaps because of it. In any case, the Technics platter has two big holes drilled in it!
Vaseline? "I ain't into that!"
Lots of discussion online regarding it. I think even a formal review or two.
Indeed, I added a 5mm Achromat to my collection on the strength of one such review 5 years ago.
Unfortunately, it failed to convince me as much as it did the reviewer/s. ;^)
This only serves to prove that analogue is very much a subjective medium which fuels a wealth of diversity.
My clearaudio concept did not come with a mat.Iam not prepared to use the sticky pads on the platter however I have not noticed any slippage on dozens of lps.The brightness hmm perhaps the clearaudio is the culprit a few people on forums have mentioned a cd like quality to this table whilst the majority rave about its sound quality.Who knows.
Darryl, the adhesive pads have little to do with slippage but are primarily associated, as the previous poster said, with coupling.
The Achromat is one of the best manufactured mats I've seen. One must admire the fact that although it is quite stiff, in use it is as geometrically flat as is humanly possible to make. So good in fact it appears to be bonded to the platter without any assistance.
Many people will like it but sadly I am not one of them. I guess it boils down to personal taste and turntable construction.
All the best,
Post a Followup:
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: