The TT platter mat thread.

[Batty]

I have been noticing that various TT mats are popping up in various threads, so lets get them all in one place.

 

What do you have, where did you get it/them from and what do you think of it/them.

[ABG]

Blue Horizon from Grooveworks.  There was a noticeable improvement in sound compared to the stock rubber mat used on Dual TT's.  I'm no hi-fi critic, so it's hard for me to explain the improvements - better detail in the bass was most obvious, but also the mid range seemed to have better detail (more air?).  I didn't notice much change in the treble registers, but that could be because my hearing isn't as sharp as it once was.

[bzr]

AMG, someone melted an LP onto it at the factory, works great!

[Luc]

Trialling a pot plant mat at the moment. Bought two off Amazon just in case I buggered drilling the first one.

 

*Yup, and I buggered it so will try drilling  the second one soon.

[Chill3]

Picture boys - every thing is better with pictures 

 

Mine is a Oyaide MJ 12 aluminium sitting on original rubber mat 

 

The Oyaide has a 1% dish and the heavy (600g) brass weight presses the record down creating very good contact and removing slight warps ( in regular records - no 180g stuff )

 

 

 

 

[betty boop]

ok pictures,

 

mine is the Thorens split corke-natural rubber mat.

 

 

 

side shot show profile of it, and given its slender thickness its a straight swap on regas to replace their felt mat.

 

 

 

 

very pleased with it, from what I can see it is exactly the same as the blue horizon platter mat.

[Grumpy]

Cork mat kindly donated by @@andythiing a long time ago.

[awty]

6mm, 3kg stainless steel mat from Tran Van Tan in Vietnam, with just a very thin piece of tanned roo hide on my lenco and just roo leather on my suspended belt drive Scan Dyna.

 

The stainless by itself is quite good but a little too bright, with the roo skin its just right. The main objective of the stainless mat was to raise the platter, but it also adds mass and detaches the platter a bit. Better than stacking the platters IMO.

Leather to me sounds better than rubber or cork, not that I have tried any of the better hybrid types.

 

 

Edited December 4, 2014 by awty

[soundfan]

I have used a Reso MAT for the last year or so on my Lenco.

 

[Batty]

I have a Plattamat 2

[Dolphy]

I've been using a Pro_ject cork mat, however it keeps getting stuck to my records, any good replacement suggestions for my Pro-Ject RPM 5.1?

[elcamry]

I use a resomat , it has worked well with a RP3 and a VPI Scout .

[shaky]

@@awty, fellow Lenco owner, I am making a copper mate for mine, and once finished while not quite as thick as your mat, will end up with as a very similar setup to yours. Curious as to what this roo mat you are using is and where it came from.

[soundfan]

To be honest, while I have heard some difference in SQ with mats over the years, I am of the opinion that a lot of snake oil is sold when one comes down to it.

A simple cartridge swap affects SQ so much more IMO.......... but each to their own.

[frankn]

Funk Firm Achromat 5mm - here.

I also have the CA Vinyl Harmo-Nicer mat

Not sure if one is better than the other or not.  Too much fafing around to compare.  I like having a mat between the platter and the record but you need adjustable VTA unless you get one around the same thickness of supplied mat.

 

@ "dolphy" - have a look at this, might give you some ideas;

http://www.ebay.com/gds/Top-10-Turntable-Mats-/10000000177678344/g.html

[didier]

Shindo leaded cloth mat, amazing thing, weighs about a kilo and looks a bit like tweed fabric.

[Keith Anderson]

I used to have a blue horizon on my Rega to replace the felt but my Clearaudio has a Delrin Platter and I don't use a mat anymore.

[awty]

@@awty, fellow Lenco owner, I am making a copper mate for mine, and once finished while not quite as thick as your mat, will end up with as a very similar setup to yours. Curious as to what this roo mat you are using is and where it came from.

From a Kanga-roo......

 

Just bought a half hide from ebay and managed to cut two mats. Good quality hide and very thin, about 1mm. I have the tanned (outer skin, no fur) side down. Not sure what type of tanning, but its very supple......would make good material for trousers.

 

The copper mat should be great, try it nude, may not need a mat. Tran sells copper ones at 295mm for $300 USD + postage at 5mm and 3kgs, he may be able to custom size it. Just remember that Lenco spindles are slightly larger than the norm.

 

Edited December 4, 2014 by awty

[shaky]

Thanks mate. It is nice and thin. Might have to jump on eBay and have a look for animal skin.

The copper mat is just an exercise in 'Can it be DIYed?' So I am doing it my own way. Turning out well, I may be getting orders for another. Have the correct sized bits for the Lenco spindle too (think 7.3mm from memory) so all good there.

[Grumpy]

I've been using a Pro_ject cork mat, however it keeps getting stuck to my records, any good replacement suggestions for my Pro-Ject RPM 5.1?

Do you use a anti-static brush before each record play?

Sounds like static is causing the vinyl to stick to the mat

[howze]

Yeah ive got a project corkit mat and it never sticks, i use an antistatic brush on every record but am also thinking of getting a new tt mat anyways

[Citroen]

 

Dolphy Posted 04 December 2014 - 11:02 PM

I've been using a Pro_ject cork mat, however it keeps getting stuck to my records, any good replacement suggestions for my Pro-Ject RPM 5.1?

 

I tried quite a few different mats on my Project RPM5 but found it worked best without a mat!

[evil c]

I'm very tempted to buy one of these Cork & Nitrile mats with the recessed label profile available on ebay.

Just using a rubber mat with my Linnie hybrid T/T at the moment.

Edited December 6, 2014 by evil c

[Kazz]

Mine is the Pro-Ject Cork It mat.

 

 

 

[christianb]

use that too and love it

Shinto leaded cloth mat, amazing thing, weighs about a kilo and looks a bit like tweed fabric.