Project Acryl-it Platter

I can't discuss the Acyl-it but i had the steel platter with my Pro-ject Xpression TT and the Herbies made a big difference. Better bass tighter sound. If you are thinking of upgrading your table soon put the money into a Herbies mat instead of the platter.

I agree with Grinnell. While I'm sure the acrylic platter will sound better than the metal one, you'll probably get 90% or more of the same effect with the Herbie's mat, and you'll be able to re-use the mat with your next turntable.

I have a Herbie's on my Technics SP-15 (also a metal platter) and it's a big improvement over the stock rubber pad or felt.

David

Hi, P. The Herbie's mat is an excellent upgrade for the Pro-Ject metal platter. As Grinnell points out, the mat improves bass response, and I found that background noise was was quieted as well. Made for a more resolving mid-range and treble and seemed to increase dynamics as well. As David says, it's a relatively inexpensive upgrade that makes a noticeable improvement with that metal platter. I even use a Herbie's mat with the acrylic platter on my mmf-7 turntable.

The one good reason to replace the metal platter is if you want to use low output moving coil cartridges as they get pulled (magnetically) right down onto the metal platter. The acrylic platter isn't ferrous so doesn't affect LOMC cartridges, which contain strong magnets.

Tom

Does the Herbie's Mat cut down on static? The OEM felt mat is stuck to the bottom of the LP after playing and I have to peel it off and reattach to platter.

Well I live in Colorado and the humidity is so low i did have some sticking problems but used double stick tape under the herbies mat to hold it down.

I thought the Acryl-it platter was a fantastic upgrade to my Debut III. Better sound, better looking. One thing to think about if you plan to upgrade your cartridge at all - the acrylic platter allows you to use a moving coil cart, while you cannot do so with the metal platter. At least, I have personal knowledge that you can't use a Denon DL-160. Not sure if Herbie's mat would be enough of a shield between the metal platter and the cart to allow for a moving coil, doubt it.

They are kind of expensive but getting Zerostat would be good especially if you use vacuum machine to clean.I used 16.5 and that built up static and Zerostat did good job (I do double clean cycle with one pre-clean tube and second round then use LAST LP preservative every 50 plays.But tow clean on new Lp definitely build up static on that first clean and even once through machine or simple brush did it as well).No matter what you use to clean LP's even brush static will build up even removal from paper sleeves (and a bit with rice paper VRP's).Yeah Felt is definitely something to dump sound and hassle wise.Acrylic,cork,vinyl all are better.
Chazz

I had the Herbie's mat and now have an Acryl-It on my 1Xpression. The Acryl-It was a good bit better in my system. Definitely worth the few extra dollars than the Herbie's mat.

The Herbie's mat was no slouch though. The Acryl-It just does everything the Herbie's mat did a touch better. The Herbie's mat and Acryl-It platter together didn't go very well. Everything was over damped.

I'd get rid of the cartridge when possible. The OM series carts are outdated. They were designed for older tonearms, and today's tonearms either have more or less mass (can't remember which). The new Ortofons will be a worthy upgrade, as will other carts.

Why would Pro-ject supply the Debut with the Ortofon OM series Cart if they are outdated? (I think either Rega and/or Music Hall also include the OM Carts on their entry level tables) I've read a lot of "Professional" reviews of the Debut 3 and none of them trashed the OM. Most of them suggested upgrading to the OM20 or 30.

The Expression is a better TT than the Debut 3, with a better Carbon Fiber arm. I'm sure that table would benefit from a newer Cart.

I owned the Debut 3 before the 1Xpression. I've heard the OM criticism from several people on different forums. The OM sounds respectable on the Debut. The new 2M series sounds a good bit better than the OM series. The Debut is definitely capable of showing the differences. I'm not saying get the top of the line 2M; just suggesting another upgrade for down the road. Take it as you will.

Hi, P. Yes, the Herbie's mat does cut down on the static problem. Doesn't eliminate it completely, but it made a big difference for me.

Tom

Which Herbie's Turntable Mat is appropriate for or has been used by members on the Pro-Ject Debut III? There are quite a bit of options out there. How does one tell which Herbie's TT mat will work with a Debut III and the stock platter it comes with?

Hi, Jedinite24; the mat that is recommended by Herbie for Pro-Ject turntables, and the one I use with my mmf-2.1 turntable, is the standard Way Excellent II-2mm mat. There's a 280mm diameter mat for the smaller platter found on the Debut III.

Regards,
Tom

Thanks Tom for the assist.

I've bookmarked the page now. $60 isn't bad relative to the cost of the Acryl-It platter. I'm going to try some shelf liner or a rubber mat along with the stock felt mat on the Pro-Ject Debut III before buying the Herbie's Way Excellent Mat. I have some of the stuff laying around the house and I may give those a shot. I was thinking about cork platters for plants from Home Depot as well but I think they may be too thick for the Debut III.

If this can help you decide, I have the RPM10 which ofcourse has an acrylic platter. Still, Herbies mat offered noticeable improvement. On the other hand, I disliked the Boston Audio graphite mat which I thought thinned the sound.

Hi Pefstratiou

So you put a Herbie's mat on top of the acrylic platter as well. Very interesting. I was under the impression the acrylic platter didn't require the mat. Good to know this as well. I have a bunch of things to try.

Hi, Jedinite24; I use a Herbie's Way Excellent mat with my mmf-7 turntable, which has an acrylic platter, and I agree with Pefstratiou that the sound is improved using the mat. Improved dynamics, reduced noise, better tonal balance. However, you may want to start with the Herbie's mat and see if the improvements are just what you're after without spending even more money on the Acryl-it platter. The Debut III may not be worth putting too much money into upgrades and I found that adding a Herbie's mat to my mmf-2.1 made a big improvement and it now sounds quite good.

More food for thought and don't forget that it's just another opinion. :-)

Regards,
Tom

My experience with the Herbie's mat with the Acr-It is opposite the last two posts. It may have cut down on noise a little bit, but it sounded over-damped to my ears. Overall, everything seemed dull.

I really liked the Herbie's mat and I really like the Acryl-It. Just don't like them together - too much of a good thing to my ears.

The Acryl-It was better, hence why I kept it. Not night and day better, but better none the less.

As everyone else's stated, I think the Herbie's mat is the better VFM in this case. If you're dead set on never upgrading the Debut, them might as well get the Acryl-It. If not, get the Herbie's mat.

I'd upgrade to an Xpression, but that's just me. Actually, I did upgrade from a Debut to a 1Xpression. Capable of a far better cartridge, far better tonearm, plinth, and so on. The Debut III is a great deck, but the Xpression is better in every (except the awful Sumiko Oyster stock cart!). The Speedbox you already have easily takes the Xpression up a level or two.

Forgot to say...

For reference sake, I have a 1Xpression, Acryl-It, Speedbox, and Dynavector 10x5. I use the internal phono stage in my Bryston B60.

I don’t know if I’m right here or not. I am looking for a good сutting mats. There are a couple of options. Which one to take http://https//leather-toolkits.com/reviews/best-cutting-mats/ ? thanks

You may be oh...nearly 10 year late