Turntable Mat -what's good out there

Just aquired a Thorens TD125Mk2 with plenty of mods on it including a really nice Zeta tonearm. It's going to be used in the office. Can anyone tell me who makes a good TT mat or who uses what on their TT and why?

 

try the funk .....

 

funk mat is great, isoplatmat is very good and origin live have recently released their own at £50 but i haven't heard that one

 

Unless the mat is designed to do something specific in conjunction with the TT it was designed for (eg the Rega P9) then mats just vary tonality and the degree to which the music sounds live or damped.

There is no right or best mat - it's generally a case of trying a few and finding the one that strikes the best compromise.

Try the Funk, simple felt, cork and perhaps plain old synthetic rubber to get a feel for the differences.

Give a wide berth to anyone who states that his mat is groundbreaking or will transform your deck - no such thing exists and remember it's all been done before.

 

thanks for the great advice.

 

the hard thorens rubber mat is/was fairly horrid almost anything placed on the platter will sound better. I'm not a fan of felt mats ...and used to run a platter mat back in the good old days [early 80's] this was very good except when the lp got stuck to the sorbthane ?

remember that a change in mat will effect the mass and therefore the resonat freq of the subchassis/ platter/ arm cart loop... you may also need to adjust the sub chassis suspension too. I can definately say that you will hear any change [I could ] regardless of material or mat type used ...whether you like it or not is another issue !

 

I can offer the highest recommendation to try the pure carbon graphite: Boston Audio MAT 1.
It is a totally unique design and thus without peer, I have not yet heard one person who has tried it, claim it did not contribute to a significant improvement of their decks ability to convey music in a more efficacious manner.

There are numerous reviews to be found via a Google search which offer more detailed insight and observations, but in use on my Clearaudio Ambient I now consider it a mandatory component such is its ability, amongst others, to reduce surface generated noise whilst simultaneously increasing apparent definition and dynamics, usually achieving one of the above is to the detriment of the other with mats I've tried thus far.

The company offers a 30 day money back trial on this under $200 product and you'd be foolish not to take advantage of the opportunity, with nothing to lose should you find it proves less than beneficial on your deck !

(I have no association to the company, other than being a paying customer and I'm so enthused with this product that I'm about to purchase their specially designed carbon graphite mat to suit the Rega Saturn which I own, I'm keen to see if it contributes similar benefits to this digital spinner )

http://www.boston-audio.com/mat1.html

http://www.theanalogdept.com/bamat1.htm

http://www.soundstage.com/vinyl/vinyl20080515.htm