why felt?

Gee I didn't know I was touching on something close to the second cousin twice removed from the truth. How is it that the fingernail tap evokes a signature that is revealing of comparing felt and rubber? I never tried rubber, but I have turned from felt to Ringmat. They would have you believe that such a tap would not be helpful because of the interaction of cork, paper and cut-out shapes in parallel to the resting surface. Then again maybe that is a crock, but I do like it better than felt at higher SPLs.

sorry for the confusion, but is this somehow related to the recent identity of "deep throat"?

I think that you will find record mats are a form of tuning devices for your record player.

Use a record mat to achieve your personal listening perference or to tame or modify the sound originally designed in the platter by the turntable designer. That's why there no black and white answers when it comes to the question as to what works best.

Cornfed, sorry you are. Not felt-up, felt Mat. Nor he either you crazy pervert you...

Just for the fun of it, I'm curious....How many of you change the VTA/VTF when you listen to different mats of varying thickness? I suspect some of the differences you hear may be more assignable to the changes in the VTA than the differences wrought by the mat.

Note, I AM NOT saying there is no difference in the sound that mats can bring. In fact, all of the issues and theories assigned to TT set up to deal with vibration can probably be assigned to TT mats as well.