Turntable mat options

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.

Use Zerostat Gun to get rid of the static

Chakster I'll bet you have the strongest trigger finger in town
Uberwaltz, did I say that? Smart guy. Some mats may be better or worse at collecting static depending on where their material falls in the triboelectric series. A vinyl mat would be hell for most people. Chaksters trigger finger would have a heart attack. Static and dust are never a problem if you use a conductive sweep arm. You would have to find some other exercise to keep your trigger finger in shape.
A turntable and tonearm should have no sound. You should only be listening to the sound of the record as interpreted by the cartridge nothing else. If you have a good table and arm and are unhappy with the sound get a new cartridge.