Ringmat vs. Linn felt mat

i had a linn with felt mat & tried the ringmat.the felt mat sounded MUCH better in my system.the ringmat did sound ok on other turntables ive had,so the products not bad,just not on the lp12

The felt mat is best for the LP12.

I found that the mat offered by Extreme Phono offered significantly better sonics than the felt mat with my LP12.
I bought the standard and the donut mats to compare and, like the man said, the donut was better, if only slightly.

http://www.extremephono.com/Mat.htm

I did a lot of researching on the topic and most people agreed with the above...they preferred the felt mat on the LP12. I just picked up one of the Extreme Phono None Felt donut mats for my LP12 and I like it quite a bit. It really does everything that Extreme Phono claims it does. It is more detailed than the felt mat, but musical, and it doesn't change the sound for the worse (like many claim the Ringmat does on an LP12). It's a different listening experience from the felt mat, but still the same thickness, so no real need for adjustments.

Some people have said that the None Felt mats are made from a static free shelf liner available online from other sources. I did check into that and it might be true...the products do look similar. The shelf liner was $13 (plus shipping) and the already cut donut mat was $28. I don't see that as being the most ridiculous mark-up in the world, and Extreme Phono did seek out the best mat for the use...I didn't have a problem paying them $28 for their service.

Other people have also said that the mat leaves a residue on their LPs when they leave them on their TT for hours or days at a time. I have not seen any residue with normal use, but it may very well be true. It is some sort of a rubber-like compound and, like sorbothane, it may "leak" chemicals. I highly recommend checking them out, but I also highly recommend not leaving your LPs sitting on it for more time than necessary.

contraire to Ncarv's post, with opposite findings.
the extreme is a musical mat, but i found the felt clarity in general richer than the extreme donut mat.
also the felt is used in static discharging, hence the sticking to the vinyl (its a good thing)
can the rubber mat replace the felts job with the static drain?
linn and felt is like bacon and eggs, sausage will work but......kurt

Interesting observation, Rcreations. I have the opposite experience -- the extreme donut mat sticks, the felt doesn't. Perhaps this is why my listening experience is opposite to yours?
I wonder if it has to do with the relative humidity? I'm in South Florida, where static is not a huge problem because of high relative humidity. Though there is less humidity indoors because of air conditioning, static is still not an issue most of the year, as in other areas of the country.
I guess I'll have to see what happens if we ever have winter again, when the relative humidity can drop and static electricity becomes noticeable. (We haven't had even a Florida winter the past couple of years. Global warming?)

Having had the great Linn LP 12 ...I tried the "RingMat"...but went back to the origional felt math. For some strange reason...the simple stuff works best on the Linn?

The Linn platter rings like a bell. The felt damps the ringing in just the right way. Other materials are not as effective at this.

Felt gets my vote. Still waiting for a response to the question in the post: where is the best place to buy a new original Linn felt mat (?).

Check this cheap alternative out:

http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/vinyl/messages/92614.html

Ultrakaz,

Try:
http://www.garage-a-records.com/access.html
they have them for $5

I vote for sticking with the felt mat for the Linn.