VPI felt mat vs aftermarket

"Mainly to avoid slippage when used without center weight"

dmk_hifi you probably know everything audiopyledom is subjective.

You're going against VPI philosophy.

Playing an LP without a center weight defeats idea of getting the LP flat against the platter. VPI believes playing without any mat ensures "best" possible SQ.

I happen to believe the screw down clamp with the rubber washer is the best attempt at getting the LP to lay flat, since the rubber washer dishes it, allowing the clamp to flatten it-a much better psuedo vacuum hold down solution than just using a center weight if you're not incorporating it with the outer peripheral ring.

Weight only is good for only perfectly flat LPs.

Auditorium 23 Turntable Mat and any other audiophool mat- waste of money that could be used for records.

Longtime Classic user here.

@tablejockey +1 to everything said plus it helps the uni-pivot arm stay as stable as practically possible to insure for premium performance. The peripheral ring with a screw down clamp also figures into VPIs philosophy as well, making the uni-pivot achieve better performance. Enjoy the music.

Thanks for all good advice. Worth noting that my VPI Classic Companion comes with gimbal tonearm so stability is not an issue as with their unipoint arms. I use HRX weight, not clamp, for ease of use.

@drrsutliff never heard of this Origin Live mat but appears to get good reviews did you have any issues with it sticking to the record? Another mat that I came across with good reviews is Soundeck PM

@dmk_hifi no I have not had any issues with the mats sticking to records and I frequently change records without stopping the platter.  I also use a second OL mat  on my Origin Live Sovereign mk3 TT.  

To mat or not to mat.  After a lot of experimenting I settled on the Origin Live on both my VPI HW-40 and my SL1200GAE although on the latter it is a two layer affair with a plastic disc first and then the Origin on top.  That is because of a limitation of the arm adjustment on the Technics and I need some extra height. An old record would work just as well, but the plastic disc is cheap and readily available from places like Amazon.  On my old VPI HW-19 MkIII, though I still use nothing, as in no mat at all.  For record clamps I use the VPI weight on the Technics, a Stillpoint on the HW-40, and the old screw down clamp on the HW-19.  Truth be told nothing works better than my old KAB clamp with a rubber washer, but I foolishly gave it away.