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Platter mat insanity

I was doing an idler upgrade to my 401 (more anon) and when finished used the Keystrobe disk to ensure speed. I use a 10" EP as a platter mat. I played a bunch of albums and it sounded fantastic. On the 6th side, I noticed I'd forgot to remove the 4" strobe disc. Duh. I took it off and figured VTA was responsible. So I lowered the arm to see if that made it sound so good. Nope. Put back on the 4" strobe disk and raised arm. The awesome sound returned. So air under the record removed haze, smearing, flattened soundstage and muddled bass; and made it so more musical. Comments... 
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noromance OP
9,837 posts
 
I tried the same experiment on my other 401 system. Same result to a slightly lesser extent as it's not as revealing as my main setup. 
Naked platter > 10" vinyl EP > 4" plastic strobe disk.

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noromance OP
9,837 posts
 
My wife never listens to the gear but I called her down. Using "The Gifted Ones" / Dissy Gillespie, Count Bassie, Ray Brown, Mickey Roken (Pablo 2310.883), she was amazed at the difference.
This is not a simple case of ringing or undamped vinyl. It is a removal of a pretty thick veil, and a release of the music heretofore suppressed. Please try it.
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islandmandan
1,260 posts
 
I have tried several different mats on my G-401, an Acromat, the suspended design from the maker of Trans-Fi Terminator (which didn't seem to work well at all for me), and a solid TTW copper mat (along with TTW brass weight), and I always come back to, and stay with, the copper mat and brass weight.

I don't know what to make of your EP mat, though I could try using the strobe disc from the KeyStrobe speed setting system. May be worth a try, though.

Regards,Dan
 
lewm
13,118 posts
 
Have you ever heard of the "Resomat", made by Trans-fi in England?  Contrary to most dogma, it raises the LP above the platter on a bunch of rubber tips. This permits the LP to resonate freely.  That mat has a loyal following.  So, maybe you are in a way correct about why the strobe disc effects an improvement in SQ, according to your ears.  Of course, be aware that VTA may play a role, in fact.
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noromance OP
9,837 posts
 
@lewm I tested for VTA. While it had some small impact, it was nothing like the improvements wrought from the 4" disk. The Resomat and Trans-Fi have sadly ceased business.
@islandmandan Dan, well aware of your setup! I’ve been wary of the weight of the copper as we’ve discussed a while back. I would be delighted if you can do the strobe disk test - don't bother with adjusting VTA initially. Just dig the opening up of the music!
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