What are the audio differences you hear with turntable Mats.

@atmasphere Is there an Acrylic mat that you have had good luck with?

@aberyclark Yes!

As you might know, acrylic can be different durometer (hardness) values depending on how its made. What you want is the same hardness as vinyl so you get maximum coupling of vibration from the LP to the platter pad without reflections.

The Oracle platter pad is the best one I've seen and we used it our our Atma-Sphere 208 turntables while they were being made (we stopped after the Technics SL1200G was introduced). It must be bonded to the platter to be effective; it has a permanent sticky back for that purpose. So if you use it on something like the Technics SL1200, which has 3 screws holding the platter to the motor, the screws can't be installed otherwise you can't remove the platter!

So you have to think about the installation prior to actually doing it 😉

I recommend doing something besides the platter pad to damp the platter as well. One of the reasons our 208 was so quiet, like the SL1200G, is both platters are damped. This really helps bass impact but makes the mids and highs smoother too.

Interesting. I wonder if an Acrylic mat without the adhesive would be an improvement over the stock 1200g mat

Just a caution when comparing mats… they must be exactly the same thickness or the tone arm must be adjusted to compensate for the additional thickness… or I guess thinner is possible. If you are not carefully adjusting your tt then the outcome may be pretty random.

Interesting. I wonder if an Acrylic mat without the adhesive would be an improvement over the stock 1200g mat

@aberyclark The stock Technics mat is junk IMO/IME. So yes.

@ghdprentice While I agree with your statement, I've found in practice that once you hear a mat that's working right, its pretty obvious.

Here's a tip to know if that's the case: when you set the stylus on the rotating LP, turn the volume all the way down and see if you can hear the stylus in the groove. If the platter pad is doing its job it will be hard to hear; easy to hear if the platter pad is out to lunch.