Recommended turntable mat for Rega P2


I just purchased a Rega P2 TT with a Benz glider cartridge, it was suggested that i replace the stock mat with a better one. What would be a good mat for this table. Thanks for any suggestions.

Brian
brian27b
If your P2 has the MDF platter, I would replace that with the glass platter first.

After that, depends on how much you want to spend. For about $20, you can get something along the lines of the ExtremePhono None Felt. The original is discontinued, but plenty of people still sell them because it's basically just a piece of non-slip carpet backing. You can cut one yourself but you'll never get it perfectly round. Look for a seller named yoder365 on ebay. He does a great job. It's cheap and very effective.

For around $70, the Herbie's Way mats are a big step up and I wouldn't spend much more than that on a mat for the P2. I've tried the cork and sorbogel mats with much less success, and they cost more.

I've had various Planar 2 and 3 models over the years and here are the most dramatic improvements you can make to them, in order:

1. Replace the plastic subplatter with a machined metal one. The best I've found is the Groovetracer. It can take a P2's performance to P3 levels and beyond in some ways.

2. Glass platter. Or acrylic, depending on your tastes. Both are a big step up from MDF. I like glass.

3. Replace the arm's stock counterweight with something from Groovetracer or Mitchell.
I now have the Rega P3-24, and I replaced the standard felt with the 2mm. Herbie's mat. A definite improvement in the overall musical presentation, and a worthy upgrade. Prior to my P3-24, I had the NAD 533 (basically a re-badged Planar 2). I really improved the sound of that table when I replaced the MDF platter with Rega glass, keeping the felt mat. The 533 sounded much better overall with the glass platter, and I would recommend this to you. Happy Listening.
Try to get an audition of a mat before you spend any money. I have not found any other mats I have tried, including Herbie's, to be an upgrade from Rega's own felt mat. The maker claims that the design does not really support anything heavier. My dealer has also conducted many A/B comparisons for people, and claims the felt mat has won out every time, and he does sell more expensive mats himself.