What are the audio differences you hear with turntable Mats.


I have always used a felt mat on my Linn Basik turntable that has an Akito tonearm and Rena Exacta 2 cartridge. What audio differences can one expect with different mats? Felt, rubber and acrylic. 

joscow

No_regrets, I probably shouldn’t have mentioned the L07D. In original form, the stainless steel mat was referred to by Kenwood as a “platter sheet”. It’s integral to the platter and constitutes a significant fraction of total platter mass. The direct drive system is tuned to include the 5 lb mass of the platter sheet, which is why I asked the machinist for a copper mat of approximately the same weight. Very different from choosing a mat for a belt drive LP12.

@bdp24 I’d just like to say how glad I am I spent the money for a Groovetracer Rega counterweight. The only way to get a Cadenza Mono to balance otherwise was to have the Rega weight half off the end of the tonearm, and a .50 calibre lead ball taped into the resulting hollow!

As for TT mats, I tend to think that if Alastair Robertson_Aikman thought his inbuilt mat was best I should believe him. I certainly don’t need the PTSD of getting out the USB microscope every time I take a mat off or put it back on, and surely if the VTA isn’t set precisely the same way each time, it is going to be very hard to make comparisons.

Late to the party. Linn likes light mats - good for suspension tables anyway. I have the 3mm Funk Firm Achromat that seems to quiet things down quite a bit. Recently, I also put my modded Linn on homemade decouplers of ball bearing in wooden cups. Between the two tweaks, my playback has a quieter background and some improved detail and dynamics. I like both individually and even more so together.

Just my $.02, I'm a PROUD owner of the new Boston Audio Mat on my Technics GAE with an SME 309 arm. I've tried Herbie's way excellent, cork & rubber & Teac paper mats. All as you know have their own signature, but the BAM brings the best out of my deck!

Now if I can find a suitable tone arm base material, I'd be a happier camper. Always going down the Rabbit hole........ 

The BA is a good, neutral-sounding mat, the best I’ve found for my Technics and I’ve tried an embarrassing number.