...a second listen

@atmasphere 
Interesting take on felt mats, since Linn ships them with their tables. Since no mat is not an option with the Basik, I chose a cork blend. That was before I started spending stupid money on my addiction.

On my Oracle I use the original IsoGroove. Were you referring to this or their new acrylic mat?

is that across the board with all tables?

Yes. The problem is finding a mat that is neutral. Obviously a lot of them cause more problems than they solve so no mat at all might be preferable in some cases.

How do your findings relate to a tt with a vacuum sealing function?

Getting the LP to be flat really increases the effect of the mat and also reduces the amplifier power used since there will be less warp. The flip side if you will pardon the expression is damage that might occur to the other side of the LP. I've seen some vacuum systems do serious damage to the unplayed side.

On my Oracle I use the original IsoGroove. Were you referring to this or their new acrylic mat?

We've been getting the same mat from them for the last 15 years so I'm going with the former rather than the latter.

I like the (graphite) Boston Audio mats.  Sadly, BA is out of the business of making mats.  They do come up second hand from time to time and do not cost a mint. While it is a bit contrary to Atma-sphere's advice, I also like my SAEC SS300 metal mat.  Speaking of metal mats, copper mats are very popular for some reason, maybe because they are cool looking as much as anything else.

Upon thinking about this again, I remembered I have some (unfinished/raw) 1/16" quasitropic carbon fiber sheets. This is one of the projects I had planned to do when I get the time.

At one time, I had a Living Voice Mystic Mat on another/lesser table.

I want to thank stringreen for bringing this subject up and atmasphere's thoughts as well. I got off my duff and finally tried a material I've had around. It is a vinyl material, around 1/16" thick with a smooth side and an irregular other side. I cut it at 11& 3/4" diameter w/ a 1&1/2" center hole. (I left in place, my 1&1/4" vinyl based center donut). I'm using the smooth side down. With this arrangement, the center is slightly higher, so to allow some smoothing out of the lp when clamped.

It didn't take long to hear the positive effects after getting the VTA dialed in. I have the opposite experience of stringreen. No loss of air, detail. The bass is more fleshed out and powerful and much more musical. Music has more soul and is more enjoyable to listen to. A big upgrade!

It does kind of adhere to the lp when lifting one off. I don't notice any leeching, but I suspect if left for a long period, it could be an issue.

Next, I will try the carbon fiber alone and the CF adhered to a piece of this vinyl. For now, I'm just going to enjoy!