Turntable mat options

@stereo5 

I think MyMat would have been a better solution for 1/4 the cost.

I enjoyed lighweight Carbon Graphite Mat from Sakura Systems, it's $250 and can be used on belt drive turntable. My reference mat is Micro Seiki CU-180 and CU-500 (both are too heavy for a belt drive turntables), another great mat is SAEC SS-300 that you could use too. 

Chip - have you contacted Rega direct to ask why these chose the felt mat ? The RP8 owners manual goes into a lot of "detail" on materials and resonances/matching, but it fails to even mention this "Felt Mat" .
I would be interested in their response.

Pertinent to your thread question.

I go naked with the Verdier Platter, as recommended to me by JC Verdier - when he was alive.

Jean Nantais (turntable manufacturer), permanently bonded a metacrylate mat to the platter of the Lenco I own. How many materials he went through to get to the Meta’ mat is not known to me.

I do own a copper mat from TT weights for the Technics SP10. The SP10 came with a very heavy rubber mat.

I once tried years ago, someone else’s idea - a series of cork dots maybe 10 or 12 in total spread evenly on a turntable platter.

So you see Chip......IMO... some want to rigidly couple the record to the platter (one extreme)......and some others .......want to make it float 8^0

Experiment and form your own opinion.


Cheers

RE: ...

On the subject of Rega TT's, is there a clamp preferred for the short spindle of the subplatter on these?

I use one of these...
https://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_nkw=thorens+stabilizer

Seems their popularity has soaored since I bought my some 20 years ago - mine cost me around $50 - used

They are weighty, but that does not seen to matter with the rega style bearing. I've been using a ceramic ball for the last 15 years and it has no issues with the weight.

My platter is acrylic and this weight has no problem keeping the album snug to the platter.

Hope that helps - Steve

I've had bad static issues where the mat sticks to vinyl.  Tried felt, deer, cork, herbies, and music hall 2 level cork. Herbies was ok. But best solution to static with noticeable improvement in clarity- resolution was TransFi Res-o-mat.  No static buildup.  And if you look at the uber pricey TT saw the similar raised mat with air gap. Ended my search.