SOTA NOVA, HR-X VPI, Technics 1200G recommendations?

@chakster,  Michael Fremer liked some carbon fiber mat on Technics 1200G. Do you think CU-180 is better? How do you handle warped records? Periphery ring?

I don't have warped records in my collection, I use weight or clamp on top. 

Mr. Fremer do not review vintage analog gear, you can read his opinion only about new gear available today from dealers, shops etc. 

Micro CU-180 designed in the 70s, you can read about it from audio enthusiasts on various forums, but not from professional reviewers like Mr. Fremer. 

I have all 3 mats that I like:

1. SAEC SS-300 -very nice aluminum lighweight mat 
2. MICRO CU-180 -very expensive superheavy vintage copper mat

3. The Mat from Sakura Systems - this is brand new graphite mat for $250 


Do not overestimate the importance of turntable mat, mat will never change the sound as much as a cartridge for example. 

@chungjh, 
While I agree w/ @chakster that mats won't affect sound as much as a cartridge, IMHE, they have a fairly significant impact on Technics tables and are worthwhile.

When I owned my SP10mk2, @dgarretson came over with his superheavy CU-180 mat, a heavy steel mat and we tried both together. I also tried Funk Achromat, Boston carbon mat, and a couple of others not worth remembering. Every one sounded different. Generally, higher mass was best, up until the point where too much started to strain the motor(two heavy metal mats together). When I pondered the ~$800 cost and limited availability of the CU-180 mat, I couldn't justify the expense. Better to go lower cost and invest more in cartridge, etc. That led to...

I turned to Tran Van Tan, a Vietnamese analog machinist, whose TVT Analog Shop makes custom parts for mostly vintage tables. His 2 layer copper/stainless mat was made to meet my requirements for mass & height and was beautifully made for $250. For me a good balance in sound improvement and value. Can't recommend him enough.  He has many photos on his site that will instantly make an impression http://tvtanalogshop.com/   
@chakster with all your vintage stuff, he may be a good resource in the future for you.

Back to your warps question, the Technics platter shape is not friendly to most ring clamps. I gave up on that with mine. Now that my Sota has vacuum and the Sota Reflex clamp, warps are conquered without a second thought. Cheers,

Spencer

I have a perfect original Micro Seiki CU-180, actually two of them at the moment. The price only goes up every year. It’s very hard to find CU-180 without scratches. Not interested in replicas, I like vintage original gear in mint condition. It makes me happy :)) 

@sbank 

Thanks for the TVT recommendation. I just sent him an email. Which SOTA do you have? How does it compare with the old Technics?

@chungjh,

I answered that for you in some detail one pg 1 of this thread,
05-23-2021 11:03am.
The Sota is here: https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/133

Cheers,
Spencer