Sometimes a bit of post New Year shopping can bring unexpected benefits. Earlier today we were in our local Ikea to pick up a couple of things and while meandering through the "market hall" bit I noticed some new placemats on offer at 99p each. The placemats are fairly thin (2-3mm) and appear to be made from a closed cell foam. The mat is plain on one side and the other has a series of 3-4mm concentric rings with a 2mm groove; they are available in black, yellow, red, blue and I think purple. The mat is about 400mm in diameter, ideal for a turntable I thought. Anyway, I decided 99p was cheap enough to take a punt on a bought one to try as a turntable mat. I got it home and took the platter off my LP12 and drew a circle as a guide. Using the next groove in I carefully cut around using some kitchen scissors, I then cut out the spindle hole using a sharp craft knife. I put the platter back on the LP12 and using the standard felt mat I played a track from a fav LP. I then swapped the felt mat for my new Ikea mat and played the same track. I then called my wife, who has great ears and repeated the process. When I played the track using the new mat she immediately said, "It sounds very different, the sound is bigger and more solid like real instruments." Bass is beter defined and the mid band is smoother. Overall I am very impressed and for 99p it is a tweak worth trying. My LP12 is now happily spinning with a new red turntable mat :D . Try it and see what you think. ft
