Kuzma Stabi R mat?

i have heard that table / arm w Kuzma CAR-50…. very nice. I don’t recall a mat, i can ask. Ed at Audio Ultra in Seattle would know - his table. I have a Brinkmann which has a screw down clamp and a Denon DP-75 w a SOTA reflex, i get great results with both.

As for Ebony….i think the really big $ are Ebony ROOT…. so i plan to dig deep, just not in the wallet… ha

Best to all in music

It all probably comes down to tuning what you’re hearing in a well treated room. Recording dependent and user dependent.

@karl_desch , the mat on the Kuzma is similar to the mat on the Sotas. It has a durometer matched to vinyl. The clamp is critical. It is a reflex clamp. It literally flexes the record into the mat to flatten it. SME uses the same system. It is not just a record weight. The only clamping system that is better is vacuum driven.

Do not play around with the Kuzma it is a well engineered table. If you want to improve its performance put it on a MinusK platform and have a hinging dust cover made for it. You can also mount any arm in the world on it, get a Schroder LT!

What phono stage are you using with your SL?   I just got my Atlas SL and am getting use to it.

I would not at any time deny myself the experiences and learning that can be had from the introduction of different materials as a Platter Mat.

The Platter Mat is only a interface, a separator of a Platter from a Material that has a data etched into it.

There is a lot that can be discovered, as to how a particular material used for Platter Mat, offers a change to the perception of a replay when used in different environments.

Additionally, there is the learning of how a particular material used as a Platter Mat, can contribute to increasing/decreasing smearing, which when present and detrimental in its effect will mask the micro details. Quite possibly not enabling a very well engineered Cart' to stand out too much for its qualities in comparison to a lesser Cart'.

Creating different interfaces by using differing Types of Materials for a Platter Mat does not come with a considerable expense and a exceptional material can be found for not too much monies.

A friend with a Belt Drive TT, stuck loyal to a Manufacturers Mat for numerous years. I brought to them a selection of mats in different materials and the one they chose over their long time used one was a 5mm thick foam. 

The foam mat was bought as part of  Group Buy at approx' £8, it is the same material that is used for a Branded Mat that sold for over £100 as a 3mm foam.

In my system the 3mm foam was rejected, the 5mm was much more successful, this proved the same for the Belt Drive TT.

I have a large selection of Platter Mats to be used for demonstration and loan purposes.

Four of the Platter Mats I have, are selected for regular use and are each having a unique and desirable influence on the SQ. Three of the Four Selected Platter Mat Types are Branded Models and have a combined retail of approx' £700+.

It is not too difficult to understand that a £8 mat is the other in this selection of Platter Mats. 

Another forum member picked up in a commentary I had offered in the past on the 5mm Foam Mat, and inquired how to acquire one. They informed me at a later date, the mat has now become their main used mat, superseding a £300-400 Gunmetal Mat. 

@pindac, I think Krank Kuzma knows enough about platter mats to put the most desirable ones on his turntables. The mat is also part of the reflex clamping system which is mandatory for pitch consistency. Ideally, a mat must have the same durometer as the vinyl. A mat that is too soft will vibrate under the record and instead of passing it to the platter reflects it back at the cartridge.

A turntable should have no sound of it's own. If it does then it is defective in some way and that sound is distortion. As @rauliruegas says, "Listen to music not distortions."