Turntable Mats: Rubber, Felt or Cork.

Joscow, I have a highly modded Linn lp12 that I find the felt mat on the rough side sounds better. I also have a table like yours a Linn Axis with an Ittok on it. I tried everything I could get my hands on I did a Merrill cork, metal, rubber hybrid. Rubber, leather, and so on everything has a sonic signature but went back to the dusty dirty felt mat. If you do use a felt mat try both sides I do hear a difference some may argue and if you like make sure it is a Linn mat that may make a difference also.

hopefully all this accumulation of wisdom is helping the original poster in the search for musical happiness!

I love the detail this topic is receiving.

If the OP learns anything here, it ought to be that he has to try a few different types of mat for himself, and then decide for himself which is best.  On the scale of the cost of audio things, that is not such a very expensive experiment to do for oneself.  In one way or another and over a period of years, it is how each of us arrived at our own preferences.

Paul Creed. Thanks