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vs Ringmat 330MkII XLR

Posted by Joel_Waterman (A) on June 12, 2004 at 19:48:34

In Reply to: REVIEW: Herbie's Audio Lab Herbie's Way Excellent Turntable Mat Accessory posted by mt10425 on June 10, 2004 at 05:50:33:

Thanks for the nice review - it made me purchase the mat ! I have had my eye on Herbie's Mat for a while now, having positive experience with his CD Mat. Your review finally made me satisfy my curiosity. I can broadly endorse what you wrote. I had a RingMat 330 XLR on my Thorens.

I did a number of A/B/A tests with the last track on Side 1 of Ben Webster/Joe Zawinul's "Soulmates". I found that the Ringmat displayed some brittleness around the treble which I did not experience with Herbie's mat. The midrange was less muddy (to be fair to the Ringmat, this sounds worse than it is) than with the Ringmat. I found I could more clearly discern the piano lines. They, and the bass, had more foundation, the tone was 'rounder' and it sounded like they were brought forward in the mix somewhat. I understand your comment about balance - there was an evenness to the sound of the band that I found more pleasant to listen to with Herbie's mat. The Ringmat accentuated the tenor and cornet to the slight detriment of the piano, bass and drums. Herbie's mat put it all nicely into place again.

The differences were not earth shattering in my system. But they became more clear upon repeated switching and listening. The Ringmat lifts the LP 3mm from the platter and Herbie's mat 1.95mm. So there is a small VTA difference which I did not adjust for. I also find Herbie's mat aesthetically more pleasing to the eye. It covers the entire platter, which the Ringmat does not.

In the beginning I thought I could not lift the record off the platter whilst it remained turning - which from a convenience point of view I like doing - but with a quick lift it appeared that Herbie's mat did allow for it after all.

Overall I found the differences worthwhile and certainly worth the money.

Jw

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