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Alrighty folks, what do you think: best turntable mat (in general, lets not get to audiophoolish here, we're talkin' budget) for UNDER 50 bones (US).Carbon fiber?
Felt? which one?
That rubber drawer liner-type one?
DIY? which one?
Follow Ups:
..post a close-up (and I mean VERY close) picture of that shelf-liner stuff you guys are using?I can't find it by brand name, not living in the same place many of you do (US), but maybe if I knew what it looks like, I could find it.
And slighlty varying patterns, thickness', and textures.
- http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000YUT34/103-6177680-9130237?v=glance (Open in New Window)
but here's what it looks like on a turntable. It's nubby, soft rubbery stuff, sort of a series of peaks and valleys.
Donut mat on my LP-12. I like both and switch between them regularly.
At 1st, the Target mat made a huge difference in sound over the stock mat
After damping the platter on my Dual, by careful application of certain things from Home Depot, the Target mat made little difference over the stock rubber mat.
So, I guess that a large part of this shelf-liner mat is that it damps platter ringing.
Comes in 2 thicknesses.Helps you adjust VTA if you have a Rega or other non-adjustable VTA table.
I have 4 VTA alternatives now:
1. thin rubber liner
2. felt
3. thick rubber liner
4. thin rubber plus feltThe rubber liner sounds better than felt, all things being equal.
And, it costs $2.89.
-Hukk
I had access to a real one from an anudiophile buddy and I liked the sonic improvements it made, so I copied it.It really made my old VPI 19 (now called the Jr.) sound much better than it had any right to! Bass, soundstage depth and width, and dynamics all improved.
Did you use a clamp at all with the mat? I've got a Junior, and have been considering maybe playing with a mat of some sort. Did you have success with any other mats on the Jr.?
My bearing wasn't threaded. It pre-dated that stuff.
I used to use a DIY center weight. It was a leadshot "muffin".
Worked great.The only other mats I tried was an Audioquest thing and the Platter Matter. The DIY Ringmat and, of course, an actual Ringmat were the only ones that made a sonic improvement.
I think it's "Creative Hands" foam sheets, sold at art stores - got mine from Michael's. Why is so great? I can't tell any difference between felt, all cork, a corked spotmat, or a Herbie's mat so the cheapest one is the best to me! At 79 cents, I can afford to use a new one each week! Comes in an assortment of colors too - just cut to fit. Note - the max width is just a hair under 12", but it's close enough for me.I know, how can I claim to be able to hear difference in hardware and make software quality assessments if I can't even hear mat differeneces? Well, that's just the way it is! I do feel felt and all cork are bad due to the obvious static juice issues.
marc g. - audiophile by day, music lover by night
This material does grip the record enough, not too much so I can flip while spinning. If you want some super serious grippage, go with a Herbie mat.
marc g. - audiophile by day, music lover by night
The Herbies mat does me well. Beat both the stock rubber and felt on a Thorens. Really cleaned up dynamics and LF. Improved bass extension as well.
A felt on the 533 and the rubber on the Technics. I have Ringmat in the drawer. Have you ever heard the term, "Pulling my leg?"I can't say for sure, but I think mats are a bit of a scam. It could be that my systems aren't great enough to show off the benefits but I'm sceptical to say the least. Besides, it's just one more thing to analyze and take my attention off the music.
"Is that mat making a $100 improvement on my original Brubeck, Time Out? Hmmm. It adds more definition and air to Eddie's guitar on Fair Warning but causes the hi hat to be recessed on Court and Spark. Maybe a blacker background on Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy but constricts the sounstage on Blood on the Tracks."
You can go thru whole listening sessions thinking that stuff and never actually enjoy the tunes. Too much trouble for me at this stage.
I do agree that if the system brings it, then tweaking can be a distraction. But I think that some tables can benefit from a little experimentation. If you're not hearing changes, or the need for such, then yeah, you're good.In my case, having goofed with different diy mats for years now, I think that 'optimum' or 'better' can be achieved with a little effort. If the heart is willing, and the ear requires.
Or at least it did for me. During a listening session, my wife noticed that I wasn't enjoying the music. She also noted that it lacked life. I couldn't figure out what had changed, but I soon realized it was the mat. I put the original rubber mat back on and everything bloomed again.I think it has to do with felt's tendency to suppress vibrations. I've also been happy with a diy drawer liner mat, but haven't done an A-B test yet...
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my LP 12.
Henry
.........I strongly feel that foam works better than any other material I've tried. Perhaps a better combination of colors should be tried, however. Anyone who wants to make their own foam spotmat can try the link below.-Steve
was my favourite after trying felt and a statmat. Now I don't have a mat at all - just a clamp. The cork tile costme all of 1 euro.
I paid a bit to get the rubberized cork for mine (reccomended by the Analog Dept.) but it sounds great. I had used a DIY None-felt, which was nice, but I like the cork a bit bettter, and it isn't butt ugly.
IBSmiester
Open Your Ears....
cork dots stuck directly to the platter, with a clamp. As you say, cheap and effective.
the grippy stuff.
Made a big difference--opened up the soundstage, improved bass detail, etc.--but I think it had more to do with the change in VTA from the thinner mat than the actual material itself.
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Surely this is very specific to turntable? I find that a thin (0.8mm) neoprene/cork mat works very well on my 301, it almost cures the "aluminium carillon" effect. I imagine that on a table with a better designed, less resonant platter this would result in terminal sogginess.That being said I can't think of any situation where a carbon fibre mat would work.
Make everything as simple as possible but no simpler - Einstein
This is beyond your set budget limits, but you really must consider the Boston Audio MAT-1. It is a graphite composite. I have only heard it on a Bluenote and 2 Nottingham tables, but once you hear it, you really DO want to buy it.
Boston Audio Mat is probably nice but here is a cheaper alternative that is excellent - Iron Audio acrylic mat. Makes a huge difference.
I was surprised by the improvement that the Boston Audio mat made on my Spacedeck, compared to the stock foam mat.
Also on a spacedeck but I think you need a clamp to prevent the disc slipping.
I'm using one of these graphite mats on both my early-model TNT and a re-plinthed Lenco L78 (the same one; even I'm not crazy enough to buy two of them @$195).
But wouldn't mind trying an exotic type :-)
I like my extremephono mat, even if it is repackaged shelving material. I think it has the right amount of flex and grip.And Guided by Voices, Bee Thousand, "Director's Cut". A GREAT recent release. Fantastic.
I loved that album, it brings me right back to highschool graduation.
I highly recommend the 3-LP version. Sound is MUCH better than the original CD release, which was apparently mastered on an early, crappy version of SoundTools.The original version still has the superior selection and sequencing of songs.
But it's a lot of fun to listen to this new release. Great pressing and artwork, incidentally.
Supertramp - Breakfast in America
One of my all time faves from the early 80s. With each play, I discover something new in the recording. And I know it pretty well. Haven't heard the new DAD 192 kHz remaster, but the CD was significantly inferior to the original LP. And this was a multitrack analog recording mixed to the early PCM-1100 system!!!!
I use a layer of the vinyl sound deadener from PartsExpress on my KD 500 platter to cut the bell ring, and damn did that sucker ever ring.Then I use a sorbothane mat.
Then I use a sheet of the 1.00 a roll black shelf liner vinyl stuff from the dollar store that I call "the made in china store."
Sound is dead silent. Great bass. Great mid detail. Crystal clear highs.
I have a Pete Riggle VTAF so I can dial in the VTA really easy even with all these risers!
Cheers.
And tonight I listened to the CARs at near eviction level! Sometimes one has to ROCK!
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