lewm
"I would keep in mind that the "CU" mats made by M-S are expensive not merely because of their association with M-S but also because they are made of copper, which is very expensive these days."
Slight correction. Vintage Micro Seiki CU series (180, 500) mats were manufactured from gunmetal Copper alloy, which although not "cheap" by way of material is still vastly cheaper than pure Copper to manufacture. The Tenuto mat = gunmetal Copper alloy as well, however, this company also used to make a pure Copper version at one point in time but is now discontinued. After having owned a couple of CU 180's in the past and now an AF pure Copper mat (3.6kgs.), in my personal opinion, a pure Copper platter mat's tonal characteristics are superior in every way.