Felt Mats or ???

Just for the, er, record my platter is metal. Zinc, I believe. The TNT lost out to the Lenco some time ago.

I'm not sure I'd try to clamp a graphite map (Boston Audio) because of its composition/fragility. But then I wouldn't try to clamp anything :-)

And oh boy does it save time and eliminate the danger (ask me how I know) of dropping a clamp on an LP! Dave

Dave,

That makes sense. Zinc probably wouldn't be so good for resonance control either. I doubt anyone clamps directly to that platter, especially not "bareback".

Good warning re: not clamping a Boston Audio Mat. If Nrenter decides to try he should MAKE SURE TO REMOVE THE REFLEX WASHER (or drill out a bigger hole in the mat, heh!). I actually cracked an LP in half once with my Teres clamp. I'd put two reflex washers on the spindle by mistake and couldn't figure out why the *&^% record wouldn't flatten out. I tried one more turn and SNAP! - it went from un-flat to really, really un-flat. Idiot...

Of course the biggest danger is swinging clamps around near mega-dollar cartridges. I consciously developed a movement drill so the clamp never passes over, under or near the tonearm. Taking out a $5K arm plus an $8K cartridge in a single dumb move is too scary to contemplate.

Doug

I'd really like to try the Mat-2 (5 mm thick) but I don't think my threaded spindle would support that thick of a mat. 3 mm is probably doable based on my tests. Perhaps I'll have to stack some old, unloved LPs and test later tonight.

The Mat-1 will probably be on my list sometime after the new year. However, I really want a Loricraft, too. :)

Hey Guys!

Did you forget about me? very humor

My MMF5 should I use cork or the felt.

I find the cork to be more stable or is that my imagination?

Thanks as always

Kev

With the MMF-5, go with whatever is cheap and sounds best for you. Don't try to spend too much money tweaking the Music Hall (this is coming from a former Music Hall MMF-5 owner). I'd bet the cork will sound better.

You'd probably be better off 1) downloading an arc protractor and verify the alignment is spot-on, and 2) getting it directly off of that glass shelf and on to a maple cutting board (painted black). Both will be useful if / when you upgrade.