Turntable Mats

MartinLogan Audio Owners Forum

Help Support MartinLogan Audio Owners Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Victor

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 28, 2009
Messages
248
Reaction score
1
Location
Edinburgh, UK
What turntable mat are you using and why ?

When replacing my LP12, the objective was to achieve a sound that was at least equal to what I previously enjoyed. Any improvement in any area would be a bonus. The fact that I took so long to replace it shows how irreplaceable a Linn is.

Up to this point in the optimisation of the new T/T, there were elements of the sound I was still unhappy with. Although the bass for example had the necessary depth, weight and slam, in my opinion it lacked texture. Below were my main criticisms of the Raven compared with the LP12 and things that needed optimisation to improve :

1. Tunefulness/loss of the musical "message".
2. Bass/ lower midrange texture.
3. Live "feel" or realism (rather than recorded feel)
4. Recessed backing vocals and instruments i.e. exaggerated soundstage depth with the Raven.
(Strongly influential on item 1)

Since trying everything under the Sun - VTA, downforce adjustment etc I was beginning to think either the tonearm was shot or the cart wasn't a good match after all.

Now the original plan had been to use the Raven mat-less. If a turntable is dependent on the quality of the "closed loop" then this surely afforded maximum rigidity throughout the loop and minimal error? (....or so I thought....)

Enter the Ringmat.

I began to think a compromise was in order. Thus far, the only setup difference between Raven and Linn, apart from the supporting table, was the MAT. Fortunately I hadn't sold my Ringmat, which was still nestling in it's sleeve in dust-free storage.
Without further ado, arm height was adjusted by 3mm and the mat applied. To say there was a massive transformation was putting it mildly. Instantly recognisable, all of the benefits that the Ringmat conferred on the Linn were now being realised on the Raven. Suddenly we were seeing a different turntable. All the tunefulness and bass texture I remembered enjoying was back with a vengeance. Rechecking the HFN/RR tracking suggested a 10 milligram increase in downforce.

Before and after renditions of Al di Meola's "Elegant Gypsy" were most revealing. One of my killer tracks is "Meditteranean Sundance". Basically this is a Spanish guitar "shoot-out" between Al de Meola and Paco de Lucia. Without the Ringmat all the emotion and sheer richness and texture of the sound were lost. Pace and drive were not a problem, but peaks had a definite "reproduced" feel to them. Too much energy coming off the stylus and reflecting off the solid platter?

My first guess at VTA seemed a good one given it's criticality with the Music Maker III. During "Midnight Tango", an aggressively loud and complex soundstage still allowed the subtlety of percussion to be heard loudly/continuously at the stage front with perfect tracking (in the channel which has the worst tracking ability of the two...) If the VTA was off this would never have worked so well.
What came across overall was the sheer coherence and amount of detail which was emerging from the background. The noise floor was lowered and hidden things were now coming out of the mix you never knew existed before.

I'm convinced that the Ringmat has a "generic sound". Regardless of what platform you use, it effectively "insulates" against what's underneath and adds it's own interpretation. In the case of the Linn, it might even minimise the influence of the deadly ringing of the chassis. While hesitating to use the words "silk purse out of a sow's ear" (with budget tables), that's exactly what it does.

Tweaking is over.....I'm happy now.:music:
(Although one should never say never..... :D )
 
What turntable mat are you using and why ?. . . .

. . . I'm convinced that the Ringmat has a "generic sound". Regardless of what platform you use, it effectively "insulates" against what's underneath and adds it's own interpretation. In the case of the Linn, it might even minimise the influence of the deadly ringing of the chassis. While hesitating to use the words "silk purse out of a sow's ear" (with budget tables), that's exactly what it does.

Tweaking is over.....I'm happy now.:music:
(Although one should never say never..... :D )

I'm using the LP12 with Herbie's Way Excellent Mat but I did ditch the ringing subchassis for a CF one and armboard. In agreement with you, I too find the Ringmat to impart a unique sound. Way too much so IMO. The Herbie's is more neutral to my ears letting the music emerge more naturally.

I will say that the Mediterranean Sundance is a great track for the energy and interplay between the two guitarists. I turn that track up and it is very good.
 
I use a Boston Audio Mat 1 on my Nottingham Space 294. It is a 3mm thick piece of carbon graphite. IMO it just drains vibrations from the LP and gets out of the way. I like it much better than the foam mat supplied with the Nottingham tables and better than using no mat at all on the damped metal platter. It is also much less expensive then the desirable near 1" thick graphite composite mat offered by Nottingham (AKA the Heavy Kit that is supplied with the Nottingham Dias and Hyperspace).

I also use a TTWeights periphery ring and weight to firmly couple the LP to the mat/platter. Arm used is a Moerch DP6 with Dynavector 17D3 cartridge. A Nottingham Wave Mechanic controls the motor speed.

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=35214
 
Last edited:
Those Ringmats have been around for a while, I guess for a good reason.

I've never tried one, maybe on my next table.
 
I'm using the LP12 with Herbie's Way Excellent Mat but I did ditch the ringing subchassis for a CF one and armboard. In agreement with you, I too find the Ringmat to impart a unique sound. Way too much so IMO. The Herbie's is more neutral to my ears letting the music emerge more naturally.

Hi Risabet,
I've heard a lot of good things about the Herbie's mat. :) I don't think it's available over here so I'd have to import one (plus customs duty at 17.5% :eek: ) It sounds very interesting though..... :)
Victor.
 
I use a Boston Audio Mat 1 on my Nottingham Space 294. It is a 3mm thick piece of carbon graphite. IMO it just drains vibrations from the LP and gets out of the way. I like it much better than the foam mat supplied with the Nottingham tables and better than using no mat at all on the damped metal platter. It is also much less expensive then the desirable near 1" thick graphite composite mat offered by Nottingham (AKA the Heavy Kit that is supplied with the Nottingham Dias and Hyperspace).

I also use a TTWeights periphery ring and weight to firmly couple the LP to the mat/platter. Arm used is a Moerch DP6 with Dynavector 17D3 cartridge. A Nottingham Wave Mechanic controls the motor speed.

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=35214

SComp....does that 1" mat come with an extra long spindle extension? :D
This is interesting. Many turntables - especially the ones with composite/acrylic/multilayer-sandwich platters have been designed to be capable of being used "matless" so I'm intrigued to know if e.g. VPI users, feel any benefit from aftermarket turntable mats. I was surprised when my local dealer told me that he also uses a Ringmat on his Clearaudio Master Ref at home.
Cheers.......................Victor.
 
I also used the Herbie's Way Excellent mat with good results on my Thorens. I no longer use it but still have it because I am selling my Thorens and I like the sound better on my new table without it. :music:

Jeff:cool:
 
LOL Yes, they do. Otherwise it would be a pain to get the LP centered.... The Hyperspace and Dais have an extended spindle on the bearing shaft so they don't need the spacer.
Of course you have to also be able to raise the arm by 1 inch.
 
I'm using the LP12 with Herbie's Way Excellent Mat but I did ditch the ringing subchassis for a CF one and armboard. In agreement with you, I too find the Ringmat to impart a unique sound. Way too much so IMO. The Herbie's is more neutral to my ears letting the music emerge more naturally.

Risabet.....Just out of curiosity, which model of Ringmat did you try ?
I'm currently using the original, but it has evolved twice since then ("Anniversary" then the "Gold Spot" versions each of which lay claim to a comparable level of improvement?)

I'm tempted to buy one just for fun..... ;)
(Oops...did I say no further tweaking? :D )
 
Risabet.....Just out of curiosity, which model of Ringmat did you try ?
I'm currently using the original, but it has evolved twice since then ("Anniversary" then the "Gold Spot" versions each of which lay claim to a comparable level of improvement?)

I'm tempted to buy one just for fun..... ;)
(Oops...did I say no further tweaking? :D )

Had to be an original as this was a number of years ago when I went to the Herbie's after listening to a number of different mats (Ringmat, donut mat w/ skin, and a couple of others).
 
Had to be an original as this was a number of years ago when I went to the Herbie's after listening to a number of different mats (Ringmat, donut mat w/ skin, and a couple of others).

Hi Risabet,
Thanks for that - it convinces me the new versions are maybe worth a look too. :)
I'm told the mats to watch out for are the rubber/rubberised ones with a quilted or patterned finish on them. Prolonged contact (as with most rubber) can cause leeching onto the vinyl. The trick is to leave an (expendable) LP on the mat for a day or so to check for adverse reaction. Some have observed that the patterned finish of the mat transfers effectively onto the vinyl... :eek:
Cheers :music: .................Victor.
 
VPI 'Super Platter' .......NO Mat.....just BDR clamp and VPI perf ring.............as God intended !!
 
One of the drawbacks of operating turntables "matless" that's been getting some publicity lately is the risk of grit on the platter scratching the disks. I've found little evidence of this myself when using the T/T matless.....but then I didn't do it for very long (!)
The nearest I got to this situation was crumbs of core material from an improperly drilled centre contaminating the disc.
I guess it all boils down to good maintenance, cleanliness and alertness.

Certainly, one advantage of using the mat is that the contact area is very small in many cases, therefore minimises this possibility.
 
One of the drawbacks of operating turntables "matless" that's been getting some publicity lately is the risk of grit on the platter scratching the disks. I've found little evidence of this myself when using the T/T matless.....but then I didn't do it for very long (!)
.

Actually Victor in principal that really dosen't matter for a dirty mat is just as bad, or in the case of a felt mat......worse ! for it would act like a giant scotchbrite pad !

simply put....... mat or platter....keep it clean !
 

Latest posts

Back
Top