Turntable Mats: Rubber, Felt or Cork.

@poko See my post on 10" vinyl mats.

@uberwaltz
I posted this on my Virtual System
"Added a black aluminum 20mm oversized platter to the slate plinth 401. Beautifully made. I did some listening tests before and after swapping out on a number of tracks (after all the tubes were warmed up for an hour.) Definite increase in bass control. I’ve been having some issues with a little bloom in the low end which have been tamed. Color, speed and focus -especially in the mid bass- is improved by a considerable margin. The sound stage narrowed a little for the first few tracks but seemed to be result of improved focus and increased stability of image placement. An upgrade, at around $750 inc s/h that puts a smile on the face.".

NOTE - the soundstage narrowing comment above is moot. The effect disappeared the next day while focus remained fine.

Here are the mechanical requirements for a good mat:
It must have the same hardness (durometer) as the LP, so vibration from the LP can be absorbed (without reflection) and converted to heat. To this end it will affect tonality if too hard or too soft.

It must support the LP properly, at the vinyl depresses at the location of the stylus where the pressure is extreme.

It should also be effective at damping the platter! When the stylus tracks the groove, the vinyl can 'talk back' which is why it has to be controlled. But the platter can editorialize too, due to room-borne vibration. It has to be dead.


If the platter pad is working correctly, you may notice that with the volume off the stylus tracking in the groove is silent.


This is a lot to do- but the results of this are obvious- a properly designed platter pad can cause a cheap turntable to have better tonality than an expensive one. The platter pad is a critical part of LP playback!

@noromance .

Many thanks.

Have added it to my wish upgrade list.

So atmasphere, the obvious question for us non-scientists.  What material(s) have the same, or very similar, hardness as a typical vinyl LP?

From your comments that would be the place to start when considering mats.