Mat for Rega P10

Check out MyMat. Several posts from satisfied customers here.
I'm the designer.

I have a new model planar 8 and I use a deerskin mat from "Jake's turntable mats". Thin and supple, no more static issues, seems to couple the record well. They are dirt cheap at around $35 shipped. It is literally the only thing I carried over from my previous turntable.

https://www.amazon.com/Premium-Leather-Deer-Hide-Turntable/dp/B00JDWHDSS/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?dchild=...=

The Les Davis mat is quite cheap and having been through many, many mats over the years it is the only one which is an actual improvement. I use it on my P8 as well as on my Kuzma Stabi Reference.

While I don’t have a P10, I do have a P7, a P25 and a P3. All have the Funk Firm Achromat. One of the best mats I have ever tried. I have a few on other tables also.

Highly recommended!

http://thefunkfirm.co.uk/achromat/

http://thefunkfirm.co.uk/shop/accessories/achromat/

I have ordered Teac TA-TS30UN (made in Japan) "Washi" mat that shares similar concept with  Stein Music The Perfect Interface for the fraction of price.
Several RP10 users recommended it to me so, considering its low price ($29), I decided to try it.
 
http://audio.teac.com/product/ta-ts30un/

Please respond with your impressions of the Teac mat once you receive it. I would be curious to know how you like it. 

I know Framer recommended the Stein Music The Perfect Interface Carbon mat but $625 for mat is quite steep I think. Even the cheapest one is $250 and I do not consider It a bargain.

This one from Sakura Systems is the latest version of Boston Audio Mat.
Price is $250, great lightweigh mat!

Another great mat is SAEC SS-300, but the price is much higher. 

@chakster @mofimadness 
the mats you guys are mentioning here are 4mm thick which will present a problem with Rega Arm that does not allow VTA setting.....I have to stick to 1-1.5mm mats. We will see how the TEAC will work...

@guy-incognito I will keep you posted.... friend of mine just ordered one for his Acoustic Signature WOW XXL with TA1000 arm and Soundsmith cart so it will be interesting to see how the same mat compares on two different platters. 

Rega Arm that does not allow VTA setting.....I have to stick to 1-1.5mm mats.

Do they live in a different world at Rega ?

I forgot about Rega philosophy. Tonearm without VTA settings is made ONLY for Rega Own cartridge ... 

Each time you change a cartridge for something much better you need to change the mat or to add something between cartridge and tonearm. And it will work only if the arm pivot is too high. If it's too low then you can't do anything. This is Rega, thanks. 

 

@arturgorniak 

The Funk Firm mats are available in either 3mm or 5mm thickness.  I also have a couple of the Teac "washi" mats that work very well on the other tables.  I like the FF mat better on the Regas, but the Teac mat is very good.

@chakster 
Correct -  Rega is definitively not a table for somebody who likes tweaking and experimenting a lot ,however I totally buy into Roy Gandy's philosophy of rigidness and simplicity. 
Same said for Alan Shaw and his Harbeths that I proudly own :)

@mofimadness 
Since you own the Teac mat - how stiff and robust it is? Does it stay nicely formed on the platter and not come off with record? 
What rega models have you tried the FF mat on?

Rega is definitively not a table for somebody who likes tweaking and experimenting a lot ,however I totally buy into Roy Gandy's philosophy of rigidness and simplicity.

Simplicity is VTA on the fly and any proper tonearm must have it, it is not about tweaking, it's about proper cartridge adjustment. It's basic option that every tonearm must have and nearly all Japanese tonearms have it (at least VTA adjustment option). It's so weird that user can't even change the thickness of the mat on those Rega turntables. However, they do not recommend to change their mat as far as i know (same about their cartridge which is definitely not the best cartridge at all). So many limitations for Rega users, strangely they like to have limitations.      

At best it is a difference in design philosophy. Saying that Rega tonearms aren’t a proper tonearm when they are universally praised and used by other manufacturers and custom turntable builders is a stretch. I respect your opinion chakster and have read enough of your posts to know that you are extremely knowledgeable in regards to direct drive turntables. I have also picked up on the fact that you have an unfair bias against anything that’s not a direct drive turntable. Lots of us really like our Rega gear.

@arturgorniak 

The Teac mat is VERY thin.  It's not as bad as the mat that came with the Sumiko Analog Survival Kit, but you'll need to keep the residual static electricity at bay or it will come up with the record.

I use one on my custom VPI table that I still use the screw-down clamp with, that requires the use of that delrin washer over the spindle.  This helps keep the "washi" mat on the platter when you lift off the LP.

@arturgorniak ,

The MyMat is just 1mm thick and used in conjunction with my 5mm Achromat, on either of my tts, it improved the sound of the Achromat.

I just got a TEAC washi mat for my Rega P8 because the Rega mat would come up when flipping or changing records sometimes due to static. This type mat came highly recommended and eliminates static. It's just 1mm thick and so far for 5 days it sounds better - a little tighter/more exact, although that could just be a placebo effect and it is very subtle. Being 1 mm thinner than the Rega mat should not cause an audible difference from the cantilever angle standpoint. It is very stiff - almost like a record because of the material in between the 2 washi sheets. Pretty cool looking too. The long time owner of a stereo store said he has one on all 3 of his tables, but he is not a Rega dealer. To be honest, I was not looking to improve the sound which is great, just to eliminate the static/mat lifting problem.

For all you Rega haters complaining about the lack of VTA adjustments on their arms, there are things called spacers that can correct for cartridge height. I guess if your cartridge were shorter than Rega's it could be a problem. I don't see anyone in the market with better value arms than Rega.

Artur, You got seven suggestions for a turntable mat, among the more than seven posts above, and no two persons agree, although some choices eventually received more than one vote each.  That should tell you something all by itself.  Platter mats are like seasoning on fancy food; they make a significant difference, and what one person will like vs another is a matter of taste.  I could tell you what I like, but I have never even heard a Rega turntable to begin with, so my preferences would be meaningless to you, because I believe the platter itself makes a big difference in how the mat "sounds".

@sokogearThanks, I got the Teac mat and am using it - I like how it stays put on the platter. I like the way it looks as well.

Thanks.  

@arturgorniak ,

How does it sound?

@slaw 
Honestly, I am not going to compare to the original junk supplied by Rega. Functionally upgrade...

I wasn’t asking for a comparison. Just how does it sound? Surely you should be able to answer that?

Frankly, I don't know why you'd start this thread, only to basically say in the end, you're satisfied with not having static issues.

You misdirected all of us.

If you want to find an inexpensive mat that will enhance your musical experience for $20 more than you paid earlier, give me a PM.

$625 for a mat ?????? 

I have a my mat from @slaw on a SOTA Sapphire w the upgraded factory platter mat , a heavily modified Sumiko FT-3 and a Nakagoka MP-110 into a fairly resolving system, I find the My Mat to be a sonic improvement, especially with drums - floor thru snare attack greatly improved along with vocal warmth and vocal intelligibility, in short excellent value and worth the slight $ to audition

enjoy the music :-)) and the journey 

I got my Washi because the static caused the mat to come up with the record sometimes. I don’t think the felt one from Rega is a piece of junk at all. I trust them as they do extensive testing and I’m sure it sounds best. It doesn’t deteriorate over time like cork (very good also).Other expensive ones I think are a waste of $$ and some may change the sound. Rega delivers uncolored sound IMO.

i could care less how the Washi looks, and in the last few days has started to soften up slightly and even came up with the record once or twice although I may have unintentionally grabbed it when picking up a record.

if it happens more often, I’ll go back to the Rega. I think the Washi may sound a little tighter and exact-not sure if I like it better or not. 

@sokogear,

With the MyMat, you'd not be on"the fence". Felt is a No Go!

I just ordered a TEAC Washi turntable sheet for my P10.  I've been using a white leather mat that sounds great but it lifts off the platter occasionally.  I hope the Washi sheet solves the lifting off issue and sounds as good as my leather mat.  I upgraded to the P10/Apheta 3 in February 2020 from a Rega RP10/Apheta 2 that I owned for 4 years and I'm really pleased with the improved performance.  The upgrade virtually eliminated motor noise, improved tracking, and cuing the arm feels more precise.  The improvements Rega made in manufacturing precision has resulted in a better sounding turntable.   I think Rega knocked it out of the park with the P10.  My dealer that I've done business with for the last 25 years gave me a great deal on a trade-in upgrade. 

I am almost at my wits end with this. I have the Washi mat (which is supposed to sound better), the Rega original mat, and last week when I was at VPI (new VDH distributor) getting my Van den hul cart replaced, he gave me a VPI mat that has a plastic like backing to a felt mat that he said will never come up from static. It did - several times.

I went back to the Washi and I think the problem with it is that it is slightly larger than the others and may come up because I am lifting it when I lift the record, not form static. If it keeps happening, I am going to put a couple very small pieces of 2 sided scotch tape between the Rega mat and the platter and be done with it. That where the cartridge is set up for anyhow, and the Washi is about 1 mm thinner as is the VPI.

Sometimes practicality and usability become the primary issues. As a side note, the Tru Lift arm lifter I recently got works great (after some tricky adjusting during set up), as long as I remember to reset it every time it lifts the arm before the next record plays. When you're used to doing a ritual for 40 years unconsciously, it takes time to change. Place the record on the mat, brush it, cue it, release the cue......The problem is you don't need the Tru-Lift when you lift off the arm yourself sometimes, so I am always checking it. Oh well, first world problems....

I am tempted to suggest no stickee, no Washi, but I won’t.

For now it’s Washi.you never mentioned your recommendation lewm. Please enlighten me.

I think I said I’ve never owned a Rega and therefore don’t feel qualified to give advice. 

appreciate your honesty. It's trial and error. A lot of error.

Next Tuesday I'll be getting my Teac mat and a Herbie's Way Excellent II mat for my P10.  I'm interested in reducing static but also I'm interested in finding the mat that sounds the best to my ears.  I'll compare them to my leather mat that I like better than the stock felt.  

You'll be a mat analyst. I was thinking of trying the Jakes leather one and the Funk Firm one. I like the Washi (TEAC) Supposedly, as it breaks in a little more it won't lift off the table when I change records. It's only 1 mm so 1/2 the thickness of the Rega mat. The smaller FF one is 3 mm (and they recommend the 5 mm one which is out of the question), and supposedly the size of the leather one was off, so I am hoping the TEAC will break in properly. Supposedly that is the best design - a grippy surface with a very slightly padded internal sections with a backing that sticks to the platter well.

Please let us know about how Herbie's compares and what it costs.

I think the P10 stock white felt mat is 1.5mm thick.  I measured it with a digital micrometer.  The Teac is 1mm thick and the Herbie's Way Excellent II is 2mm thick (I ordered the thinnest one).  I'll try to post my initial thoughts of the mats next week.

My white leather mat that I bought on Amazon initially for my RP10 and later transferred to my P10 is 1.5mm thick (same as the P10 stock white mat).  If the P8 stock felt mat is 2.0mm thick then it's different from the P10 stock mat.  I think the leather mat is better than stock for static and sound quality.  I'm really not unhappy with the leather mat but if the Teac sounds as good and totally eliminates the static sticking issue, I'll be good.  The Herbie's mat has a lot of positive reviews so I ordered it out of curiosity.  If I like the Teac on the P10, I may try the Herbie's on my LP12.

@smatsui 
My understanding is that Way Excellent 2 mat is not a really recommended product for ceramic platters...thats where Grungebuster Turntable Mat comes into place.....BUT I would be rather skeptical to spend $145 for a mat....
I have been using Teac mat for a while (66 records played to be exact) and I find it a great product that does not introduce static, stays on the platter, and looks sweet....

I gave up after more frustration with the Washi lifting off with the record. Ordered Herbies -it’s silicon underneath to hold onto the platter and have some absorption/sponginess and has a layer on top. It was $60. Hopefully this will do it.

@arturgorniak , I actually ordered the Grungebuster as well, I'm also thinking about ordering a Stein Perfect Interface standard mat.  Both Herbie's mats come with a 60 day full refund return policy so not much of a risk.

Matsui-you really wil be a mat analyst. I thought I was going off the deep end with this,but it looks like you already dove right in. Interested to hear what you think, but the P10 ceramic is different than the P8 multi layer outer weighted Glass combo platter, which could explain why the Washi is working for arturgorniak and not me. Anxious to try Herbie’s this week.

@sokogear, yeah I'm aware that our platters are different, the Herbie's Way Excellent II mat should work well for you.  I'm anxious to try different mats to see what works for my preferences.  Is the Teac mat larger than a standard LP?  You mentioned that may be the reason you lift it off when removing a record.  For me, I prefer a white mat to match my platter so maybe the Grungebuster will be my ticket.  The Teac mat looks ok too and maybe it will be easier to see that my platter is still spinning as a reminder to turn it off when I'm done listening.   

You will see the pattern on the TEAC if it is spinning. Looks nice. At this point, looks aren’t even a consideration if the mat can stay on the platter without the need for tape. Plus the thickness of Herbies matches the stock Rega mat thickness.

the TEAC mat isn’t bigger than a record, but it may be very slightly bigger than the platter which may cause me to lift it. I don’t think it’s a static issue like the felt ones.

I received the Teac Washi mat yesterday. I took it for a spin and it sounds very good and no static cling. I think it provides equal but different sound compared to my leather mat. The leather mat is a bit warmer and rounder sounding where as the Washi might be a bit better in treble extension.
I received the Herbie’s Way Excellent II mat today and I think it sounds better than the leather and Washi mat. I feel that it provides a slightly larger soundstage and more body and a bit more dynamic. Certainly not a night and day difference. No static cling either but none of the mats clinged to my record today. The real test is winter in Michigan. I should be getting the Grungebuster later this week.

@smatsui 
Let me know your impression of Grungebuster vs Teac......

OK - I just came back from my friend who owns spectacular system where we had a chance to compare the $650 Stein Music The Perfect Interface Pi Carbon Signature to my $30 Teac Washi. 
He has amazing system in the large - dedicated room - The beauty of his set up is that the TT is set behind the listening chair so whoever operates it, is out of sight the person who listen.
Great set-up for experimentation! 
He uses SME 30/12 with 12" SME V arm and Soundsmith Hyperion cartridge. Dartzeel pre-amp with built in custom tune phono stage and Zeel's mono blocks feeding Wilson Alexx speakers.
So I brought over my el-chipo Teac asking him to switch mats without telling me.
My job was to identify any differences with a hope of getting consistent results and point to the specific mat.
It was refreshing to realize that neither me nor the owner of this high end system could hear ANY difference!!!
Once again, we have proven that most justification for more expensive product happens in our brain and rarely is based on the actual superiority in quality improvements...
he was quite disappointed with the outcome....BUT he is a well prosperous lawyer so he will live....$650 - cheap change...
Me, on the other hand, super happy that I scored bargain.....mat GAME OVER! 

I am happy to report that I received Herbie's mat on Friday and it works perfectly! No static and it is a pleasure not having to worry about the mat lifting every time I change a record. As far as looks go, it looks like a record is on the platter from any distance.

It seems to sound a bit more open, but my cartridge is just about approaching the 50 hour initial burn in period, so the improvement may be due to that. 

For me, game over. Can't believe someone would spend $650 for a mat. $60 was plenty for me and I am extremely happy.

Hey Steve - you should try the tru lift arm lifter from Integrity hifi (only sell through dealers) and you won't have to sorry as much if a record is still playing. Once adjusted, it works great. Not cheap (around $300) but I really like it (except when I forget to resist it - it takes time to get used to an extra little step).

Today I received the Herbie's Grungebuster mat.  It's a no go.  I think it may be the worst sounding of all mats that I own.  It's significantly heavier than the Herbie's Way Excellent II mat.  The Grungebuster seemed to suck the life out of the music.  I also compared the Teac Washi mat to the Way Excellent II mat and again the Way Excellent II mat won.  I hear more information while retaining an engaging musical sound with the Way Excellent mat.  I think everything sounds best with that mat including soundstaging, imaging, and dynamics.  I think I would pay $150-$200 for the improvements that the WEII mat brings to the table over the others.  The fact that it's only $60 makes it a bargain.  Based on sokogear's post above on his Rega P8 and my comparison on the P10, I highly recommend the Herbie's Way Excellent II mat for both glass and ceramic platters on Rega TTs.  The Teac Washi mat took second place but imo it's a distant second.  

One more thing that I would like to add, the Herbie's website is a bit misleading in regards to their Grungebuster mat.  Last week I called their office and spoke with Robert regarding my P10 with its white ceramic platter.  He recommended the Way Excellent II mat even though the description of Grungebuster mat on their website says it's for ceramic platters.  I told him that I would order both mats and return one or both depending on how they compared to my other mats.  It turns out he was right on with his recommendation of the Way Excellent II mat.  The sound quality difference between all mats that I tried was easily heard in my system.  I used tracks off  Doug MacLeod's "There's A Time" 45rpm on the Reference Recording label for my comparison.  I'm glad I found this thread on Rega mats because I upgraded the SQ significantly from my TT for only $60.  

smatsui-forgot to thank you for introducing me to Herbie’s mat. I wouldn’t have done the research and would still be unhappy with the mat. I really am thrilled with it’s solid feel without being too heavy and complete lack of any issue changing records.

i agree with your mat analysis 100%. We’ll see if I can return the TEAC..

I would recommend taking a look at the Tru lift tonearm lifter. Can’t believe I lived without it for the +\- 20 years I’ve been using a manual table.

@sokogear, I'll take a look at the Tru Lift tonearm lifter.  Thanks for the recommendation!  I'm returning the Teac and Grungebuster mats.

@arturgorniak, I recommend that you try Herbie's Way Excellent II mat (2mm thick).  The SQ improvement over the Teac is very significant.  Since sokogear and I have both mats and we came to the same conclusion in two different systems, I'd be surprised if you don't agree.  The only thing that you have to lose is return shipping if you don't like it.