Don’t worry about the thickness of the mat. The VTA is adjustable on that table! Check out the KAB platter mat for the Technics!
Proper thickness for platter mat Technics 1200GR(2021)
My girl decided to bring home a 6month old Husky last Monday. I didn’t know it was coming. Long story short the new addition chewed up my platter mat. In search of a new one I see all types of recommended thickness. 3mm, 4mm(Herbies), 5mm(Funk Mat) and even 6mm(older technics). What’s the importance of this? I don’t quite understand VTA but it seems to be reason why thicker platter mats are preferred for this particular table. Is 6mm to thick? Is 5mm the sweet spot? Using the MP200 cartridge(if that plays a part).
Im currently investing in to protecting my cables from the pup...just in case. :p
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I vote carbon fiber, since it's hard to chew up.
Boston Audio Design - Serious Audiophile Tweaks (boston-audio.com) |
@jim5559 I love dogs man... but a puppy? Wasn’t even a little bit prepared for that. KAB seems to be the place to shop for technics parts. That's good to know. Thanks. Website is a tad grungy. :p I’ll check out the carbon fiber one. Thanks. |
@andysf - Hey Andy, I was thinking of buying the SL1200 Achromat for my Pioneer PLX 1000 which is a Super-OEM copy of the classic Technics SL1200. How does the Achromat fit? Does it have a channel on the underside that fits over the lip on the Technics platter? Or is the diameter small enough that it fits inside of the lip on the outside of the Technics platter? Lastly, how do you like it? |
The stock mat is 3mm and it is OK. I have also learned that many shorter cartridges will not be able to be levelled because the arm height dial runs out of travel. I tried many mats with my GR and by far the best is the Herbies with 4mm thickness. Great damping without too much and the additional mm lets shorter carts be dialed in perfectly. Worst by far was the achromat which blurred and ruined bass response. To test the effectiveness of mats play music at high volumes and listen to the bass- beats and sustained. Listen for good definition and clarity of notes. Also listen to the midrange and check for coloration. The best mats will dampen the arm resonance and let the bass sound sharp and focused and leave the midrange nice and clear. |
I have the Achromat for my SL 1200 MK2 and have been very happy with it. While the table has VTA, you may not be able to get the arm level with a thinner mat. I haven't experienced any negative consequences as a result of using the Achromat. I use a fairly heavy weight with it, so maybe that helps avoid the issues another poster mentioned. |
@big_greg - Hi Greg. Do you have the Achromat that is specifically designed for the SL1200? How does it fit? Does it have a channel cut out of the bottom to fit over the ridge on the outside edge of the SL1200 platter? Or is the diameter small enough to sit inside of the ridge on the outside of the platter? Just curious because it would seem you would want the aftermarket mat to be in contact with the whole platter. A stiff mat that did not fit either inside of the raised ridge, or have a channel to accommodate the ridge, would not sit flush against the platter, correct? BTW, with my Audio Technica AT-VM740ML, I cannot get the VTA correct using only the stock mat. The VTA adjustment bottoms out before I can get the tonearm exactly level. It's close, but I would like to have a little adjustment on either side of level to test different VTA settings.
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@reubent Tom, it's been a while since I bought mine but it is the one for the SL 1200. It comes with adhesive to make it lay flat on the platter so I don't want to pull it up to look at the bottom. Works great, and the fit is good. I know there is a version that has a lip and one that doesn't. I would contact Funk Firm and ask them if it will fit your table. |
@reubent Hard to pull the Achromat completely off to check as it is it held down with pretty strong tape. I was able to pry a bit of a side of it off and it did feel like there was a bit of a lip. It is designed for the 1200 so fits my table perfectly. Your Pioneer is a Chinese knockoff of the Technics so I am not sure how exact a copy it is when it comes to precise sizes of platters. Probably the mat dealers would know since it is such a popular unit. Mine was originally on a Technics 1200 MKII. When I put the mat on that, everything just snapped into place aurally-greater clarity across the board. Moving it over to the 1200G it still sounded good but the difference was not as great and it seemed to lose some tonal density. For this reason, I am still curious about trying other mats. I have to say that the difference is really minor so not a priority. I bought mine from England for a lot cheaper than what they cost in the US-even with shipping. Not sure about the situation today. |